You'd Be Surprised
by tuva97
Summary: Midoriya Izuku was born with a quirk that let's him see the future. Or at least, that what he would tell anyone that asks. (AKA, Izuku have a quirk that let's him rewind time for 15 seconds. Also some other stuff.) (Rated M for Katsuki's vocabulary.)
1. Prologue: Fifteen Seconds

A five year old Izuku was staring at his mother with wide, green eyes filled with confusion.

"I don't understand. Isn't lying bad?"

His mother gave him a broken smile, barely reaching her eyes as she pulled him closer and replied. "Oh honey… of course lying is bad, but we just can't tell them. I'm so, _so_ sorry."

"But why not?! What's wrong with my quirk?"

"Nothing's wrong, it's just…" here his mom sighed deeply before looking at him, eyes filled with pity. "You have a very special quirk, Izuku. There hasn't been anything like it before. If people knew about it, then…"

"Then what?!" the boy huffed in frustration. It wasn't often he got upset with his mother, who was the kindest and bestest mom in the whole world as far as Izuku was concerned, but he had been so excited when his quirk first manifested! But now his mother was telling him he had to keep it a secret? The initial excitement Izuku had felt upon the discovery of his quirk was quickly disappearing, starting with the pure look of shock and disbelief on his mother's face when he first told her about it, instead of excitement and pride like he had been expecting.

"I don't know what will happen," his mother admitted, before suddenly bursting into tears much to Izuku's confusion and distress. He quickly pulled his mother into a hug of comfort as she continued to cry into his shoulder and did her best to get her next words out between gasps and sobs. "I don't know, but I just want you to be safe! I just want you safe and happy, Izuku!"

"But I am happy!" he assured her and tried his best to keep his own tears in. He couldn't start crying too, not when he needed to stay strong for his mother! "I finally got my quirk! Now I'll be able to become a hero and protect people, just like All Might!"

Another sob racked through his mother's body.

"I just don't understand…" Izuku whispered weakly, his voice barely heard over the choked sobs coming from his mother. "If my quirk isn't bad, then why are you so sad?"

Inko took a few seconds to wipe her tears on the sleeve of her green cardigan and took a few shuddering deep breaths until she had finally forced herself to calm down enough to answer her son.

"You have a very special power, Izuku" she began, voice cracking from her previous outburst. She took another deep breath to keep her voice steady before continuing. "You're different; different from everyone else. And some people… they won't be able to accept that."

Izuku blinked in confusion at his mother's words. "Why?"

His mother patted his fluffy bed of green curls affectionately in an attempt to reassure him and gave him a sad smile. "Many fear what they don't understand. It's human nature to want an explanation to everything. You're a curious child. You understand it more than anyone, don't you Izuku? But some things… just can't be explained."

"Like my quirk?" inquired a small Izuku.

"Exactly," Inko nodded at her son, a stray tear which she couldn't keep in rolling down her cheek. Her child looked contemplative for a second, face scrunching up cutely in thought as he took in his mother's words. "That's why we can't tell anyone. Can you promise me that, Izuku? Promise me that you won't tell anyone?"

"...okay," he answered hesitantly. After all, he could never say no to his mother; especially not when she was looking at him with such pleading eyes, filled with worry. "But…"

He hesitated, fidgeting nervously with his hands, unsure as to whether he really wanted the answer to his question or not. "Does that mean I have to tell people I'm quirkless?"

"Hm…" his mother looked thoughtful with a frown on her face, before it turned into just the smallest of smiles. "No. I have another idea."

* * *

"...you're wrong," muttered one Midoriya Izuku, now eleven years of age. Katsuki had cornered him after school in their classroom, making fun of Izuku's weak quirk ( _that's what he thinks_ , a voice echoed quietly in his skull) and dream to become a hero—as usual. At least he didn't have those lackeys of his hanging around him this time.

"What was that, Deku? You really think think you can become a hero with a weakass, shitty quirk like yours?" Katsuki let loose a few explosions in the palm of his hands, as if to demonstrate what wasn't considered 'a weakass, shitty quirk'.

"Sir Nighteye has foresight too, you know," answered Izuku defiantly, much to Bakugou Katsuki's annoyance.

"And clearly much better than useless ass quirk couldn't even forewarn you about this, now could it?" Katsuki said, before kicking at the other boy's legs to make his point, causing Izuku to fall over with a yelp. He groaned in pain as he pulled himself up from the floor.

"You're wrong," Izuku bit out, brushing the dust of his pants. He could feel the frustration building in him, like it did anytime someone made fun of his quirk. It just wasn't fair! How could they make fun of it when they didn't even know the truth?!

Izuku's body was shaking. _It just wasn't fair!_

 _It's because I'm different._

That's what everyone told Kacchan too, after his quirk manifested. His quirk, which he was free to show off and brag about as much as he liked. Just like every other kid could.

 _Everyone except me._

"You sound like a broken fucking record. I'm wrong? You telling me you knew I would kick you? Then why the fuck didn't you avoid it, huh? You some kind of masochist? Or are you just that fucking slow?"

"That's not what I meant, Kacchan."

Izuku was looking at Katsuki now. Or rather, he was glaring, the frustration within the usually timid preteen reaching it's boiling point. Katsuki almost flinched from the cold, steely determinating shining in those too green eyes, but just almost, because Bakugou Katsuki _doesn't fucking flinch._

"The hell do you mean?" Katsuki growled, taking a step closer to the nerd, refusing to let the cold expression currently on the green haired boy's face affect him. And as much as he hated to admit it, he was curious as to just what the fuck Deku was talking about. Izuku stood his ground against his bully's advancing form.

"My quirk," he answered simply, even as his mind was screaming at him that this was a bad idea. A very bad idea. Terrible. He promised his mother didn't he? But his mouth just wouldn't stop moving. Before he realized it, the truth was already out. "It isn't foresight."

"The fuck?" Katsuki's red eyes narrowed dangerously upon hearing Izuku's words. The hell was Deku talking about? His quirk wasn't foresight? "Bullshit." Had Izuku been lying this whole time? To everyone? Had _Deku_ been lying to _him?_

"I'll show you," Izuku said, reaching a hand out toward his childhood friend turned bully, palm open, waiting for Katsuki to take it. The blonde hesitated for a moment, glaring at the outstretched hand suspiciously.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," Izuku said, voice soft but eyes hard. He wouldn't back out now. "Now come on. Let me show you."

Katsuki glared at him. He clicked his tongue in annoyance before finally grabbing the thin hand with one of his his own, much larger compared to the smaller boy.

"If this is a fucking prank, I'll blow this hand to fucking bits, got it?" he growled, squeezing the hand in question hard and baring his teeth in warning to show he was serious. Izuku swallowed nervously but smiled timidly at him. Fucker.

"Ah, one more thing!" the small boy exclaimed, turning his head and craning his neck, letting his eyes roam around the abandoned classroom before finally settling on the mounted watch on the wall. He pointed to it with his free hand.

"Look," was all he said, and Katsuki did. He looked, and he saw. He saw ticking hand of the clock counting down the seconds as they passed. He looked, and he watched. Watched as the seconds hand suddenly stopped counting forward. He watched, in both confusion and disbelief, because suddenly, the clock wasn't ticking forward anymore. It was going _backwards._

" _What the fuck?!"_ he yelled, ripping his hand out of Deku's grip, shifting his gaze frantically between the watch on the wall (which had started moving forward again) and Deku's calm, if somewhat nervous, expression. There's no way…

"There's no way," Katsuki repeated aloud. Deku just kept staring at him silently—patient. Waiting. "What the fuck did you just do?"

A sudden spike of anger flared through Katsuki and he yelled. "So it really was a fucking prank all along huh, Deku? I don't know how the fuck you pulled it off and I don't care, but if really think I'm gonna believe you just _turned back fucking time_ then you are even more of a dumbass than I originally thought!"

"Do you need any more proof?" Izuku asked after quietly waiting for the blond to stop shouting—voice momentarily void of any distinguishable emotions as he observed the angry, ranting boy in front of him. It was somehow liberating finally being able to tell someone about his real quirk, even if that someone happen to be Katsuki.

"Yeah, how about this," Katsuki said as he stalked up to Izuku's desk and grabbed the latest Hero Notebook the boy was currently working on and viciously ripped it in half, the pages spreading everywhere as they slowly fluttered to the floor as if in slow motion. "Undo that."

Katsuki grinned cruelly and Izuku frowned at the pages upon pages of scribbled notes and sketches that now littered the floor. Of course, fixing the notebook would be no problem, but Izuku couldn't stop the painful tug at his heart upon watching something he'd spent so much time and effort on be viciously ripped to shreds like it was nothing.

He sighed and forced down the tears that were already threatening to form in the corners of his eyes from the sight of his ruined notebook. Katsuki would just start teasing him even more if he notices Izuku was crying.

He stepped up to his desk to stand next to his childhood friend and placed a hand on the other boy's shoulder, before activating his quirk once more. They both watched silently in wonder as the ripped notebook pieced itself together as time moved in reverse and suddenly, just like that, it was whole again. Just like the last few seconds never happened. And to anyone other than Midoriya Izuku and Bakugou Katsuki, they never did.

Katsuki was silent. It was actually quite eerie just how calm he seemed. Izuku was used to dealing with a Katsuki that screaming and yelling curses at him, but this calm quiet was something new entirely and the green haired boy wasn't quite sure how he felt about it.

"Kacchan…?" Izuku asked quietly, suddenly very nervous and afraid to raise his voice any higher in fear that Katsuki might suddenly return to his normal self and start flinging insults and explosions at him. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. Was it still too late to turn back time and make him forget?

 _How many seconds have passed? If I rewind now, maybe I can still pretend it was all just a prank._

"Deku."

"Y-yes?!" he yelped, still on edge by just how… calm Katsuki seemed. He had expected this exchange to be more painful, and with a lot more angry curses words thrown in.

"All this time…" Katsuki slowly turned his head to look at him, and his usually fiery red eyes had never looked so cold as they did now. It made Izuku shudder and he couldn't stop from shrinking in on himself as those dangerous eyes bore holes into him. "All this time you've been lying. To me. To everyone."

Izuku gulped and clenched his fists hard in an attempt to will them into ceasing their mad shaking. His stomach was tying into knots and cold sweat had begun to form on the back of his neck. The voice that answered Katsuki's query was shaky and nervous. "Y-yeah… you're the only other person I've ever told, aside from my mom."

His mom, which he promised to never tell anyone the truth about his quirk. A promise which he had now broken. Guilt washed over him, but he couldn't find it in himself to regret what he did. Not even when Katsuki was looking at him with such cold, cold eyes. _Sorry, mom._

The blond was still being uncharacteristically quiet. Suddenly he nodded, short and curt before speaking. "Good. Don't tell anyone else."

Izuku was taken aback by what Katsuki had just told him, big green eyes widening in surprise. The only response he could manage in this state of shock was a high pitched, surprised "Y-yes!" before Katsuki shouldered past him and made his way to the classroom's exit. The green haired young boy was standing stock still for a moment as his brain still fought to comprehend what had just happened. When it finally caught up he lunged for his childhood friend, latching onto a broad shoulder with one hand.

"Wait, that's all?" he asked, bewildered at the blonde's reaction, or lack thereof. "You're not gonna punch me? Yell at me? Nothing?"

"Do you _want_ me to explode your face? Because I could, if you're that fucking eager," Katsuki growled, and Izuku almost let out a sigh of relief as his bully seemingly returned to his normal, explody self. He would have done it too, if it weren't for the fact that normal Katsuki was, well… Katsuki. The short tempered blonde shrugged of Izuku's hand before continuing out the door. "Deku, I just fucking saw you turn back time. I need some time to fucking think."

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Izuku asked nervously, fidgeting with his hands for the few tense seconds he waited for Katsuki's answer.

"I won't. Sheesh, why the hell do you think I told you not to tell anyone else about this? Why the fuck do you think I would?" the blonde haired boy yelled irritably and suddenly Izuku found himself walking into a door that was abruptly slammed shut in his face as Katsuki exited the classroom before him. Izuku rubbed his sore nose, grumbling slightly at the sharp pain that shot through it.

"Well, that went… well?"

* * *

"Tell me about your quirk."

It was the day after Izuku had told Katsuki the truth. The two boys were both currently in Izuku's room, because Katsuki had asked—or rather demanded—that they'd both go to the smaller boy's house after school. Izuku had almost given himself a heart attack thinking about the possible reasons as to why his bully wanted the two of them to meet up. He found himself relaxing somewhat after hearing the question, now understanding the purpose of this meetup.

"O-oh! Well, I still don't understand it one hundred percent, but uh… I guess I'll start by telling you the basics?" Izuku began, before going on one of his infamous mumble disquisitions as he explained his quirk in detail. "To start, I can only turn back time fifteen seconds at most. I can activate my quirk as many times as I want, but I can never use it to go any further than fifteen seconds into the past at any time."

"So you can turn back time, but only fifteen seconds?" Katsuki interrupted. "Figures. I'd expect nothing less from a Deku like you."

Izuku bristled slightly at the insult of his quirk. "A lot can happen in fifteen seconds, Kacchan."

"Whatever," muttered the blonde in response. After making sure that Katsuki had nothing more to add, Izuku continued.

"By default, my quirk doesn't affect myself for whatever reason. I have to concentrate hard if I want to reverse time on my own body, but it seems my mind remains unaffected no matter what I do, which I guess makes sense, since otherwise I would just forget reversing time in the first place, risking the creation an inescapable loop…" Izuku paused his mumbling for a moment at the confused look from his (surprisingly) attentive audience. "O-oh! I guess this can be a bit confusing. I know, why don't I just show you?"

"What do you—" Katsuki started, looking at Izuku standing a few feet in front of him from his position on the floor, when suddenly—

"The fuck?!" Katsuki cursed as two green eyes were suddenly right in front of him, staring into his face. Instinctively, his hand moved before him and to let loose an explosion right into his former friends face. A face which had been _on the other side of the room_ just a moment ago. _What the fuck?!_

Izuku recoiled from suddenly having an explosion detonated in his face. He rubbed his slightly burnt skin tenderly with a pained expression and tears just starting to form in the corner of his eyes. "That hurt, Kacchan!"

"Does it look like I fucking care? It's your own damn fault for suddenly appearing in front of me!" Katsuki yelled, trying his best to calm the rapid beating of his heart. "The hell was that? Since when could you fucking teleport? The fuck does that have to do with time travel?!"

"It's not teleportation," Izuku informed, rubbing away the tears that had gathered in his eyes. "Well, not to me anyways. I just walked up to you normally, and then turned back time a few seconds. Since my quirk doesn't affect me unless I force it to, I remain in the same spot even when I turn back time. To you it looks like I just teleported."

Gears started to turn in Katsuki's head as he processed the words and realized…

"Wait, then how fucking far can you 'teleport'?!"

If Izuku wasn't affected by his own quirk, doesn't that mean that he can just keep turning back time as he walks to wherever he wants to appear? He would be able to walk from one side of the city to the other, if he had the stamina for it, without any time passing at all!

"A-ah, not that far," Izuku clarified, bringing Katsuki out of his reveries as he explained while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Depending on how I use it, my quirk can put a lot of pressure on me… If I try to go past fifteen meters when I 'teleport', my head starts to hurt and I get a nosebleed. I might even pass out if I walk to far… but it usually goes away if I wait for time to catch up. That's also the reason why I don't like turning back time on myself."

Yeah, speaking of which, that bring up Katsuki's second question—if Izuku can turn back time on himself too, he should have been able to undo getting his face exploded, so why didn't he?

"For some reason, it's really hard to turn back time on myself. I can only effectively do it two times before I pass out. The first time I do it I get a nosebleed and light headache. The second time and my head feels like it will split apart. That's why I almost never do it."

Katsuki was instantly reminded of all the nosebleeds Izuku used to get when they were younger. He always had them more often than other kids he knew, but they grew fewer as Izuku grew up; along with his predictions for the future. It was just another part Katsuki and his peers bullied him for. No one wanted to hang out with the kid who could start bleeding at any second.

"That's all? Or are there any more tricks to your quirk?" asked the blonde, ready to get this explanation over with so he can process it.

"Ah, no, there's one more thing!" Izuku perked up. It was very exciting to finally get to talk about his quirk to someone that wasn't his mother, even if that someone happened to be Kacchan. "Well, remember how I said my quirk doesn't affect me by default?"

"Duh," Katsuki scoffed. "You told me just a few fucking seconds ago."

"W-well, that doesn't only apply to me! I-I mean, that is to say, I can pull other people or objects into my time frame! All I need is to have physical contact and I can choose whether I want my quirk to affect what I'm holding or not. Just like I did with you yesterday Kacchan, when I showed you my quirk!" the young boy explained excitedly, green eyes sparkling. "Just think of all the possibilities! If I wanted to steal something it would be really easy. I could just put something in my pocket and then rewind time while I'm still touching it. To anyone else it would like like it just disappeared! I mean, not that I would steal anything of course! That eas just an example!"

Izuku panicked slightly as he reached the end of his explanation, waving his hands frantically in front of him. After a moment he calmed down so he could ask the lingering question on his mind, curious to hear the answer. "Um, that being said… why are you so interested in my quirk, Kacchan?"

Subconsciously, his mother's words from _that_ day began replaying in his mind. _You have a very special power, Izuku._

Was Katsuki evaluating him? Maybe he would finally change his mind about him after he'd seen Izuku's true quirk. Maybe he won't be 'Deku' any more!

 _Many fear what they don't understand._

Would Katsuki be scared of him? Izuku swallowed nervously. But no, this was Katsuki. There's no way he'd be scared of him. Katsuki was way too strong to ever be scared of anything! Especially Deku... right?

 _You're different… They won't be able to accept that._

But maybe… now that Katsuki had seen that Izuku wasn't so useless after all, would he still hate him? Hate his power?

"You're mumbling again, idiot," Katsuki said and whacked the side of Izuku's head. He yelped as he was suddenly, and painfully, brought back from his own mind.

 _Deku's asking stupid questions again._ Of course Katsuki wants to know. He have to. Deku was a stupid nerd with a useless quirk, or at least that's how it should be. It's what he thought. What everyone though. But no, apparently that was just one, big lie. The nerd had somehow fooled them all into thinking that he was someone he was not.

The very thought of it was ridiculous.

A lie. That's what it was. Izuku; his quirk. Both lies. And as much as Katsuki hated to admit it—as much as he wanted to deny it—Izuku wasn't useless. Well, at least not his quirk, that's for damn sure.

Katsuki could have spent all day trying to convince himself otherwise. To convince himself that it wasn't a big deal. That Deku breaking the laws of physics and making it his bitch, or at least friends with benefits, wasn't a big deal.

But despite what some people might assume from his fiery personality and unusual stubbornness, Katsuki wasn't stupid. He _knows._ He _knows_ that Izuku's power was different from his. Different from everyone else. _It wasn't normal._

And Katsuki wasn't going to pretend otherwise. Denial was for pussies, and Bakugou Katsuki _deals_ with his problems. He doesn't sweep them under the rug and pretend like they never existed in the first place.

So Katsuki asks. He asks so that he can understand: the limitations of Izuku's power. All so he could one day beat him—and stand on the top.

Midoriya Izuku wasn't invincible. His bruised face, still red and raw from the explosion from earlier, was proof of that. There were only so much he and his quirk could do, and undo. He explained so himself.

No, Midoriya Izuku wasn't invincible, even if he was damn close. Katsuki could take him. It wouldn't be easy, but he could. Izuku wasn't a fighter, not like him. Izuku was a coward. His quirk fit him well, almost as well as Katsuki's explosions fit himself. It was perfect for avoiding conflict—if only he would use it, that is.

But there was a nagging feeling in the back of Katsuki's mind. A part that wasn't entirely convinced. A part that made him hesitate.

Because Katsuki wasn't stupid. And despite all the stupid shit he did, neither was Deku. He's as much aware of his own weaknesses as Katsuki—more, even. The blonde doesn't doubt for one second that Izuku have already gone through hundreds of different ideas for how to make up for his quirk's weaknesses (not that all those ideas are necessarily good, but still).

And because neither of them were stupid, Katsuki was already running through his own ideas on how to counter whatever Izuku thought up. There was just a few problems, one being that Katsuki wasn't entirely sure _what_ exactly he was supposed to counter against.

And because of this, Katsuki feels something he never thought he would associate with the dumb Deku: caution. After finding out that half of what he thought he knew about the stupid nerd he'd bullied for the past few years was a lie, he'd be stupid if he didn't. And again, Katsuki _was not stupid._

"Deku," he finally said, watching said green haired boy fidget nervously under his bully's scrutinizing gaze (and Katsuki would be lying if he said he doesn't at least somewhat enjoy the reaction of fear he had on the boy). He choose his next words carefully.

"Looks like you aren't as useless as I originally thought."

Izuku's ceased his fidgeting as his big, green eyes snapped to his—and they _shone._

Well, it's as they say. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

* * *

"What the hell is he doing here?" came the words from one of Katsuki's lackeys, nicknamed Fingers. He was of course referring to the nervous boy with a head full of puffy green hair who was currently hiding behind an increasingly annoyed Katsuki.

"Yeah, what gives?" asked lackey number two, Wings.

"Because I fucking said so, that's why," Katsuki growled, letting a few explosions go off in the palm of his hands in irritation. "If you've got a problem with than you can fuck right off. I don't need some second rate losers like you following me if all you gonna do is bitch and whine."

"Aren't you at least gonna give us an explanation?" Fingers shouted accusingly with clenched fists. "I know you two were childhood friends, but that was years ago! You haven't let Deku tag along with us since we were eight!"

"I don't need a fucking explanation, but if you really wanna know, it just so fucking happened that Deku isn't as useless as I originally thought. Compared to you weaklings, anyways."

Both Fingers and Wings bristled at that, but Katsuki didn't care. He doesn't need some wannabe badasses like them following him. What the hell were they acting so high and mighty for anyways? They both want to be heroes just like everyone else, but Wings was too fat to even be able to lift himself of the ground for more than a few seconds anyways, and Fingers? _Don't make me laugh._

What the hell kind of hero would he be anyways? A hero that helps little kids retrieve balloons stuck in tree branches? He scoffed at the thought. The only thing his quirk was good for was to elongate his fingers. _That just means they're easier to break._

"You know what?" Fingers said, baring his teeth in what he probably thought was a threatening manner, but in reality just made him look stupid. "Fuck you. I don't even know why we even hang out with you in the first place. You're a fucking asshole, you know that?"

He turned around and gestured to Wings. "Come on. Who fucking needs Katsuki anyways." Wings hesitated for a moment, looking torn between staying with Katsuki and Izuku or to follow the other boy, but eventually settled for running after Fingers after a particular hard glare from the angry blonde. Izuku had watched the exchange in tense silence, and now that the other boys were gone, he looked to Katsuki with a gaze laced with concern.

"Are you alri—"

"Shut up, Deku," the blonde interrupted the smaller boy. "If I'm gonna be number one I don't have time to waste on weak trash like them."

Izuku was still uneasy after the fiery exchange, but he couldn't stop the small, guilty surge of happiness at what Katsuki just implied. Since the explosive blonde was still hanging out with him, then surely that meant he didn't think of Izuku as weak trash like he called the other two boys who just stormed off, right?

"Come on Deku," Katsuki gestured with his head for the other boy to follow him, and he complied excitedly. It had been years since he and Katsuki last hung out together! Even longer since it was just the two of them.

"Where are we going, Kacchan?"

"To experiment," Katsuki answered simply, to a confused Izuku. "Show me what your quirk can do."

* * *

 **AN: Aaaand, there we go! My first (published) fanfiction! I hope everything made sense. I had a hard time explaining Izuku's quirk, and it went through a lot of changes before I settled for this. But I hope you understood how it works. I also hope the beginning makes sense. I mean sure, Izuku may live in a universe where detonating explosions in your hands and spitting acid is normal, but manipulating time and space? Yeah, I'm not so sure.**

 **Oh, and just as a fair warning, this might turn into BakuDeku (possibly one sided) in the future. Not sure. Tbh, I'm not sure where I'm going with this story. I just felt the need to write it because I really liked the concept of Izuku having a quirk that let's him reverse time for a few seconds. If you want to, you are free to use this concept to write your own fanfiction. I'd love to read it.**

 **I actually debated whether to leave this as a one shot or not, but I think I might continue it.**

 **I have also posted the story on my dA (tuwas1), Tumblr (snazzysnaz) and AO3 (also snazzysnaz).**


	2. Chapter 1: Bakugou Katsuki

If someone told a ten year old Bakugou Katsuki that he would one day waste his own precious time to train with Midoriya Izuku for the U.A. entrance exams, he would have probably punched them in the face. Hard. With an explosion.

But such was the case for the current Katsuki, now fourteen years of age, and currently yelling at Deku to _keep the fuck up._

Now, some might might wonder _why_ exactly Katsuki would willingly spend time helping the stupid Deku get into U.A., which is a very valid question, because sometimes he's not so sure himself. Like right now.

"I said _, keep the fuck up,_ Deku!"

"I-I'm trying, Kacchan!" Deku gasped in between short ragged breaths as he desperately tried to keep up with his former bully and friend's pace.

"Well, fucking try harder! You want to be a goddamn hero, don't you?!"

Upon hearing the word 'hero', Deku took as deep a breath he could manage and jogged up beside Katsuki with newfound determination.

It lasted for about a minute before he began falling behind again. Katsuki tsked in irritation and slowed his own pace—just the tiniest amount.

Rest assured, there _was_ a very good reason for all of this. Two reasons, actually. There had to be, for Katsuki to put up with the shitty annoyance that is Deku.

The first reason was that so long as Deku was with him, Katsuki would be able to keep an eye on the green haired boy. It was very important that the blonde knew of every possible new development of the shitty nerd's quirk, and that would be easier with Deku there at U.A. with him.

The second, and much more important reason, was that Katsuki was no coward (unlike a certain dumb green haired someone else).

Bakugou Katsuki had a dream. A dream to be the strongest, to be _Number One._ And to prove that he was—indeed—the strongest, he needed to be able to defeat anyone who might get in the way of his dream at their top condition. He wouldn't use any cowardly, underhanded tactics to achieve his victory, because whoever was _Number One_ had to be someone strong enough to win against all odds, no matter _who_ his opponent might be.

If this was the same old useless Deku from before, Katsuki would have never considered helping him. It just wasn't worth it. _He_ wasn't worth it. The old Deku had just been a pebble in Katsuki's path, not even worth a second glance. But the _new_ Deku had transformed from a pebble to a rock, one that you might accidentally trip over if you're not careful. And that would be pretty pathetic.

Katsuki refused to be that pathetic. He would leap over that rock, propelled forward by his quirk's explosions, and then use it as a stepping stone for his victory. To become _Number One._ If Katsuki truly was to be the strongest, he needed to be able to defeat Deku at his very best.

Which brings us to why Katsuki is here, with Deku, jogging down a concrete path instead of being somewhere else, which didn't include any shitty Dekus. If wasting his own precious time turning the dumb nerd into at least a _semi_ competent fighter was necessary to achieve his life's goal and prove to the world that Bakugou Katsuki is indeed the strongest, then so be it.

He just wished coaching Deku wasn't so annoying. Not that he expected anything less from a whiny crybaby though.

Katsuki paused for a moment to let Deku catch up. They were currently standing in an underpass crossing the road they were currently following; it was the road leading to the street where the boys lived, well traversed but at the moment almost empty. They both breathed heavily from the workout, Deku more so than his blonde companion.

They took a short moment to rest. Katsuki could keep going, but he knew Deku wouldn't last much longer, thus allowed him some time to catch his breath before they continued. Causing the nerd to pass out would be counter productive to Katsuki's goals after all.

The only noise that could be heard for a moment was the harsh breathing of both boys echoing off the grey walls of the tunnel, when it was suddenly interrupted by the sound of metal hitting rock and the wet splashing of liquid.

Before either boy realized what had happened, they were encased in dark green, sticky slime that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Katsuki had only time to gasp out a quick "The _fuck_ —" before his mouth and throat was filled with the disgusting taste of trash and rotten fish. The blonde would have threw up, but the slime currently clogging his throat made it impossible, leaving his stomach to churn in revulsion.

It didn't take long for the boys to realize that whatever the slime was, it was _alive_ and had seemingly made them it's prey.

 _A villain,_ they realized at once as both teens tried their best to get a handle on the situation they were just forced into. Katsuki was setting off as many explosions as he could possibly manage, lighting up the dark tunnel, which now seemed so much darker with a villain attacking them. The explosions didn't have much effect on the sludge however, much to Katsuki's frustration.

He tried his best to scream at the villain to " _Die, die, die!_ " as more slimy, disgusting liquid was forced down his throat. His attempts were growing more desperate as the slime didn't even seemed faced by Katsuki's explosions, when suddenly he felt soft fingers wrap around his arm.

 _Deku,_ he realized and—just like that—they were free. The villain was gone, like it had never even been there in the first place, and Katsuki had experimented with Deku enough to realize that that was _exactly_ what happened.

Deku had used his quirk to turn back time on the world around them, just before the slime villain would emerge from underground and attack. Katsuki didn't need the dweeb's prompting to turn his body around to face the soon-to-be incoming enemy. They watched as it emerged from the sewers, manhole cover launched high in the air and clattering to the ground loudly, before it lunged at the two students.

"The eyes, Kacchan! Aim for the eyes!"

Katsuki followed the nerd's instructions, too busy fighting of murderous sludge to complain about Deku telling what to do. He let his sweat build up to the very last second before he let loose as big an explosion he could muster, aimed straight at the villain's beady eyes. He quickly noted that it was one of the very few parts of the villain that wasn't liquid.

The slime recoiled in pain and let out a roar. "You damn brats!"

"Kacchan!" Deku yelled, grabbing a hold of the blonde's arm. No doubt he was planning on using his quirk so they could make their escape, but Katsuki wasn't done yet.

"Let go, Deku!" he shouted at the nerd, readying his hands for another round of explosions. If this damn villainous sludge thought it could just interrupt his an Deku's training for the U.A. entrance exams, it had another thing coming! Bakugou Katsuki doesn't stand for that kind of shit.

As it turned out, neither Katsuki's explosions nor Deku's time manipulation was necessary in the end, when both young teens heard a very familiar voice coming from the tunnel's entrance.

"TEXAS," it began, and both Deku and Katsuki knew what would come next. The blonde saw the other boy mouthing the next word silently to himself, and they both braced themselves. "SMASH!"

Green goo splattered and covered the walls of the underpass, along with the boys' clothing. Katsuki grimaces. His mother was going to be _pissed_ when he gets home.

Standing before them—in the middle of what was once a formidable villain—was a man, his golden blonde hair billowing gently in the breeze as the sun lit it up from behind like a halo. Everything was silent for a moment, and then—

"It's fine now. Why?" the man let out a hearty laugh, an unforgettable smile adorning his face. "Because I am here!"

Deku was yelling the last part just as All Might said it. He covered his mouth with his hands in embarrassment and Katsuki punches him in the shoulder. All Might just laughs louder.

"I can see that you are a big fan of me, my boy!" he says as he walks up to them to put large, comforting hands on each boys' shoulder. "It was a mighty fine fight you boys put up! Are you two planning to become heroes?"

Deku nodded enthusiastically. Katsuki gave the hero a more subtle, shorter nod.

"We were just training for the U.A. entrance exam, when this fucker attacked," the blonde informed, gesturing with his thumb towards the green goo still surrounding them. "Too bad his opponents were me and Deku. Fucker didn't stand a chance."

All Might laughed again. "Well, you certainly have spirit!"

"A-All Might!" Deku squeaked out, thrusting his most recent hero notebook—number thirteen, if Katsuki remembered correctly—which he had pulled out of his bag at some point during the exchange toward the Symbol of Hope, opened to a blank page. "I-I'm your biggest fan! Could… could you please sign my notebook? I-if you don't mind, of course…"

The Number One Hero produced a sharpie from somewhere—considering how famous All Might was, it's no wonder he was carrying one really, he probably gave out signatures to fans all the time—and covered two whole empty pages of the notebook with his handwriting, much to Deku's delight.

"T-thank you, All Might!" he stuttered, a big stupid grin in his face.

"It is no problem, young man!" All Might reassured, clapping the green haired boy on the shoulder good naturedly. "However, as nice as it was to meet such young, aspiring heroes as yourself, I am afraid that I have a duty which I must fulfill! I need capture this villain and bring him to the police station."

"O-of course!" Deku bowed before his idol. He yelped in surprise when his action earned him a kick in the shin from Katsuki.

"You don't need to fucking bow. It's embarrassing," he hissed quietly.

"S-sorry!" Deku gave Katsuki an apologetic look. The blonde just rolled his eyes in response.

They both left the Number One Hero to do his job in peace, though Katsuki could tell Deku would rather stay and watch. If the explosive teen was honest with himself, he might have—just a little bit—kinda, sorta wanted All Might's signature too, but he didn't want to be mistaken for stupid Deku over here. That'd be way too embarrassing, so he refrained from asking.

As they left, he debated for a moment whether they should just end their training early and return home for the day so they could change out of their ruined clothes. In the end he decided that, fuck it, he wasn't going to let some shitty fuckmunch of a villain ruin his workout and chances to get into U.A., so instead they continued running, slimy clothes. If any passerby looked at them weirdly, Katsuki just glared back, promising death to any who would bother them. People quickly looked away after that.

Deku was still gushing over All Might and the signature he received. The blonde did his best to tune him out so that he could concentrate on his own thoughts, still reeling after the encounter.

Whenever Bakugou Katsuki thought of his future career as a hero, he always imagined that he would work alone, much like the current pro heroes at the top does. He wasn't exactly a team player, as anyone who'd spent more than ten seconds with Katsuki could tell you.

But thinking back to what just happened, to his and Deku's encounter with the sludge villain… Katsuki may have been the one to hold the fucker off, but it was thanks to the shitty nerd's quirk that they managed to escape from the villain's slimy grasp in the first place—as annoying as that was to admit.

Of course, the strongest hero wouldn't _need_ sidekicks. But on his way there, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to have Deku and his quirk on Katsuki's side after all.

* * *

 **AN: Katsuki, why you gotta be so mean to Deku. :(**

 **Anyways, here I am with chapter 2! Or technically chapter 1, since the first chapter was just the prologue. Yup, no One For All this time around. It would really make sense in this timeline, not to mention that One For All + Time Manipulation is just WAY too OP, and I'm not looking to make Izuku OP. Hm, I wonder who will get One For All now? Probably SPOILER Mirio, since he the top candidate for OFA to begin with. END SPOILER**

 **Also, I finally have some ideas on where the story should go. I think you'll like it. Hopefully. Not sure how I want the story to end though. I have two ideas for an ending; one would be a happy ending, the other would be a not-really-sad-but-not-really-happy-either-but-I-do-kinda-like-it-and-would-open-up-the-possibility-of-a-sequel-but-might-possibly-be-unsatisfying-maybe-maybe-not-and-I-probably-wouldn't-write-a-sequel-anyways-but-still kind of ending.**

 **I'm pretty stoked for the next chapter. Nothing big really happens I guess, but I'm excited anyways. :) See ya then!**


	3. Chapter 2: Just In Time

It was almost ten months since the slime incident, and Izuku was about ready to die. He was waiting outside the gates of U.A. for Kacchan to arrive, and he wasn't sure how much more his frazzled nerves could take.

He and Kacchan had trained hard together in preparation for this day, and it showed. Not only had Izuku gained some impressive muscle mass and stamina, but Kacchan also made sure to give him a few lessons in the blonde's crude (but effective) version of hand-to-hand combat. Because Izuku was very limited on how freely he could use his quirk without looking suspicious, it was important that he had a way to defend himself without it. Still, despite all the hard training he had gone through in preparation for this day, it did little to calm him down.

Finally, he noticed a familiar head of blonde, spiky hair in the distance. It was easy to spot, what with how the crowd of people seemed to both consciously (and subconsciously) avoid the angry looking teen with a permanent scowl on his face, leaving a bald spot in the crowd where Kacchan was walking. But despite the boy's sneering, Izuku knew his friend well enough to tell Kacchan wasn't in a particularly bad mood today, 'grumpy' just happened to be his default expression.

"Hey, shitnerd," he met Izuku with his usual greeting, but what wasn't usual was the brown package he very suddenly, and very aggressively, showed into Izuku's unsuspecting hands. He almost dropped it in surprise and fumbled for a moment to steady his grip.

"Huh?" he questioned intelligently once he had a firm hold on the surprisingly heavy box.

"Open it," Kacchan ordered with a growl, before he began shoving them both towards the school's entrance, wanting to catch some good seats before it was completely packed.

"Did you get me a present?" Izuku asked in disbelief. He began prying the box open carefully, slightly nervous that this might be a prank or something of similar caliber. Not that Kacchan was one to play pranks, but he usually didn't give out gifts either.

After some more shoving and Izuku's careful dissection of the suspicious present, Kacchan finally seemed to lose his patience. "Fucking hell Deku, don't look at it like it's gonna explode any fucking second! Just fucking open it already, shitface!"

Not wanting to test the agressie blonde's patience any further, Izuku finally ripped the box open. Inside was a pair of thick red leather gloves. _No, not just any gloves_ , he quickly noted as he experimentally took one out the box and held it in one hand, box in the other. It was too heavy for just leather. They were weighted.

He stared at them with wide, green eyes. "Are these for me?" When did Kacchan even buy them?

"Why the fuck else would I give them to you, dumbass? You think I can wear gloves with my quirk? Look, they're even red to match your stupid fucking shoes!"

Izuku just stared in silence for a moment, but he could feel a smile slowly creeping up his face. "That's really thoughtful, Kacchan!"

"Whatever," the blonde grumbled in response, and if Izuku didn't know better, he'd say the boy sounded slightly embarrassed or flustered. "Your weakass needs as much fucking help as it can get. Now wipe that stupid smile of your stupid face and let's go, before all the damn seats are taken."

Izuku did his best, he really did. But try as he might, he just couldn't keep the grin off his face, much to Kacchan's displeasure. He muttered something about "shitty nerd", but Izuku couldn't find it in himself to be offended. He'd long since gotten used to the blonde's abrasive language and colorful insults anyways.

Even when he tripped after a particular hard push from his friend on their way into the school building and almost fell flat on his nose, and would have too if not for the help of a very nice girl with a gravity quirk, he kept smiling.

"Those gloves weren't fucking cheap, so you better ace this test, or else I'm going to murder your damn ass," Kacchan said in a hushed whisper as they took their seats in the auditorium, somewhere around the middle.

Izuku kept smiling.

* * *

Call it a lucky coincidence, call it fate. It was a good thing Kacchan bought him the weighted gloves, because they soon found out that they would be battling robots for the entrance exam, as explained by the very enthusiastic pro hero Present Mic, (granted, the pro hero was enthusiastic about everything he did) who was part of the teaching staff at U.A.

The hero explained that there would be three different types of robots to fight, and each robot was designated a different point value. This practical exam was designed to test their ability to dispatch villains, as such the robots had to either be destroyed or immobilized, and Izuku was infinitely glad he wouldn't have to punch the machines with his bare fists. Aside from that, there was also the robot worth no points at all, an obstacle, made to avoid rather than to destroy. A part of him disliked the idea of running away—they were supposed to be fighting villains, what if anyone got hurt because he was too afraid to fight back? Of course, this was just an exercise and not an actual villain attack, but still…

He also disliked the fact that he and Kacchan wouldn't take the test in the same location, even if he understood why. The judges wanted to evaluate the participant's individual ability, so it made sense to separate people from the same school to prevent them from working together during the exam. Not that Kacchan would have helped Izuku either way, but still. Speaking of Kacchan...

"Remember, they have fucking cameras all over the damn place. If you're gonna use your quirk, you best fucking rewind time on yourself too," the blonde informed Izuku, not for the first time. "If the cameras see you teleporting all around the damn place, people are gonna ask questions. Your quirk is foresight, remember?"

"I know, Kacchan," Izuku sighed. While he appreciated his friends concern, he was used to hiding his quirk. He had been for most of his life, after all.

"You better," the explosive teen grumbled. "If you fuck this up for us, I swear I'm going to kill you, you shithead."

Izuku just smiled at that. Even though Kacchan may seem mean, and it wouldn't be the first time someone wondered why Izuku even wanted to spend time with the blonde in the first place, the insults and threats didn't have the same bite as it used to, back when Izuku was just "a nerdy loser with a shitty quirk", as his friend would have put it. Though Izuku was sure he was the only one who noticed the difference; his mother still looked worried sometimes when he asked if he could spend time with Kacchan, but he did his best to assure her that the other boy didn't bully or beat him up anymore like he used to.

Of course, it was kinda hard to convince her when he came home covered in scrapes, bruises and burn marks after another harsh training session with his friend, but her worries were somewhat appeased once he managed to convince Kacchan to let his mother come along to watch one of their sparring matches. She still seemed uneasy, disliking the thought of her son getting himself beat up for training, but she understood that it was necessary for Izuku to make it as a hero and achieve his dream. Not that she liked the thought of her son as a hero very much either considering how dangerous the profession was, but she did what she could to support him.

And it was a good thing he and Kacchan had been training more than just their combat skills for this day. It wasn't much, but Izuku was now able to rewind time on himself three times without passing out! Four, if he was lucky, but the headache that gave him could still be felt hours after he'd already woken up. Those had been some pretty awkward training sessions, with Kacchan having to catch and watch over Izuku's unconscious body while they waited for him to wake up, but the result was worth it.

"Good luck, Kacchan," Izuku said, letting a small smile play over his lips as he eyed the blonde and pulled on his brand new gloves. The weight would take a while to get used to—they clearly weren't designed to be worn for extended periods of time. "Meet you after the exam?"

"I don't need luck, shitstain," Kacchan scoffed. "Let's go get burgers after this. I gotta fucking celebrate finally getting into U.A."

Ah, there's the confidence Izuku admires so much. He just wished he could be half as confident as that Kacchan is.

 _Good luck, me._

* * *

Ochako liked to believe she was doing pretty well in her robot extermination. She had managed to destroy a good amount of them with her quirk by floating them up into the air before dropping them and letting gravity do the rest of the job; she only hoped the points she gathered would be enough for her to pass. Time would be running out soon, so she should—

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden loud rumbling. Turning her head to look behind her, she watched in both terror and awe as a giant, hulking monster of a robot with a big, fat '0' painted on it fast approached her location.

People around her were yelling and running away in a frenzied panic at the sight, but Ochako found herself rooted to the spot, frozen in shock and fear. She tried her hardest to will her body to _just move_ until her legs were shaking from effort, but no matter how hard she tried, no matter how loud her mind screamed at her to _please just move,_ she couldn't.

 _I'm going to die,_ was the thought that kept running through her head, only growing louder the closer the machine of certain death got, along with the fear that crept up her spine, icy cold. But that thought was ridiculous. This was just a test, right? They wouldn't let anyone actually die, _right?_

The girl watched as the deadly looking robot collided with the buildings around it, sending rubble flying in every direction as the architecture crumbled and collapsed under the force. If any of those heavy slabs of stone were to fall on any of the participants, then surely they would…

She could move again. _She could move!_ Without a second thought she turned from the robot and ran, ran as fast as her legs could carry her, because _she could move! She could_ —

She let out a scream of pain as something impossibly heavy landed on her back, and from the loud _crack_ and harsh stabs of intense pain, she was positive she must have broken something.

Dazed and confused, she lay on the ground unmoving. _What… what happened?_

Scanning her surroundings and taking in all the rubble around her, it didn't take a genius to conclude that some of that must have fallen on top of her. It was the scenario she feared just seconds ago.

 _Quick… my quirk!_ she thought. She made a pitiful attempt to turn around so that her hands could reach the slabs of concrete laying on top of her, but quickly stopped and let out a sharp hiss of pain at the movement and cringed as she heard her broken bones grind against each other. Or was that just some loose rocks?

She tried again, having little choice in the matter, but the pain was just too much. The zero point robot was still approaching her, the rumbling now having reached a deafening roar. Any second now, any second at it would be on top of her. Ochako's hero career would end before it had even began, only leaving a bloody smear on the pavement to remember her by.

 _Someone, please…_

Bleary eyed, she tried to look for someone, _anyone_ who might help her. Tear were prickling the corner of her eyes through a mixture of fear, pain and dust, when suddenly they locked onto a shadow of movement in the distance, barely visible through the large clouds of dust that now covered the exam grounds.

"Please…" she croaked out, as loud as she could. When the dust cleared, it was to large green eyes, opened wide in horror as they stared at her trapped form. It was a boy, with curly dark hair and pale skin. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Ochako was faster.

"Plea—" she cut her own plea off with a violent fit of coughing, but after a deep, ragged breath she tried again, as loud as she could possibly manage. "Please—!"

* * *

Ochako liked to believe she was doing pretty well in her robot extermination. She had managed to destroy a good amount of them with her quirk by floating them up into the air before dropping them and letting gravity do the rest of the job; she only hoped the points she gathered would be enough for her to pass. Time would be running out soon, so she should—

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden loud rumbling. Turning her head to look behind her, she watched in both terror and awe as a giant, hulking monster of a robot with a big, fat '0' painted on it fast approached her location.

People around her were yelling and running away in a frenzied panic at the sight, but Ochako found herself rooted to the spot, frozen in shock and fear. She tried her hardest to will her body to _just move_ until her legs were shaking from effort, but no matter how hard she tried, no matter how loud her mind screamed at her to _please just move,_ she couldn't.

 _I'm going to die,_ was the thought that kept running through her head, only growing louder the closer the machine of certain death got, along with the fear that crept up her spine, icy cold. But that thought was ridiculous. This was just a test, right? They wouldn't let anyone actually die, _right?_

The girl watched as the deadly looking robot collided with the buildings around it, sending rubble flying in every direction as the architecture crumbled and collapsed under the force. If any of those heavy slabs of stone were to fall on any of the participants, then surely they would…

She could move again. _She could move!_ Without a second thought she turned from the robot and ran, ran as fast as her legs could carry her, because _she could move! She could_ —

She yelped in surprise when she clumsily fell forward. _What_ —

Her thoughts were interrupted as she turned and saw, to her horror, a boy trapped beneath heavy pieces of rubble. He craned his neck to look at her, green curls framing his round freckled face and a smile so big and bright that Ochako almost missed the blood slowly dripping out of his nose.

"Just in time…" he whispered, and Ochako was slightly impressed with herself that she managed to catch it what with all the commotion still going on around them. The boy let out a huff of laughter despite his perilous situation, his expression a mix of pain and relief.

 _He pushed me out of the way,_ the girl realized. Her heart clenched in admiration and gratitude for the stranger, but also with guilt and worry. A part of her couldn't help but think the boy looked oddly familiar, but she pushed that thought to the back of her mind. There were more important things at stake at the moment, she could worry about whether the boy really were as much of a stranger as she originally thought later. The zero point robot was still approaching after all, and much too quick for Ochako's liking.

"D-don't worry! I'll help you!" she tried to reassure him as she readied to use her quirk on the heavy pieces of concrete trapping the boy. He just shook his head at her.

"No," he tried. "Just run! You'll—"

Ochako refused to listen. She couldn't just leave him here, especially not after he just risked his own life to save hers! She was going to be a hero; what kind of hero would do such a thing?

 _A terrible one,_ her mind provided, determination coursing through her veins as she began working on freeing the boy, bit by bit, piece by piece. She began with the heaviest and most unstable looking pieces, tapping them with her fingers and causing them to lose any gravitational force, before pushing them and let them harmlessly float away. She worked as fast as she could, but was careful as to not cause the pile of rubble to topple over and make the situation even worse. "I won't run," she cut off the boy's words that was still pleading for her to run. "Someone who just runs away can't possibly be a hero."

That caused the boy to still. He hesitantly closed his mouth, saying no more. The deadly machine was still closing in on them. Any second now and it would be upon them. Adrenaline was coursing through the gravity girl's veins, but she refused to leave the boy to his fate. _Just a little more_ —

"TIMES UP!"

The big deadly robot that just seconds ago were out for the teens' blood slowed to a stop, and both Ochako and the boy breathed out a sigh of relief. The stranger (or not stranger?) had large tears gathering in the corner of his big green eyes, and Ochako doubted she was much better. She was also feeling incredibly nauseous, no doubt a mix between overworking her quirk and from the intense fear and worry that gnawed in her gut just a few moments ago.

At least the boy's bloody nose made her feel somewhat less self-conscious when she threw up beside him. She wasn't sure if it was injured or a side effect of him using his quirk, whatever it was, just like her throwing up was.

She finished moving the last pieces of rubble to free the boy, despite her stomach protests.

"Are you alright?" she asked with a wobbly smile as she pulled him to his feet. He stumbled slightly, so she offered her frame for him to lean on, and prayed that she herself wouldn't fall over in the process. That would be embarrassing. And painful.

"Yeah, I think… I think I'm fine," he reassured, voice still shaky from fear and adrenaline. "My whole body hurts, but… I don't think anything is broken. I might have sprained something, though."

"What about your nose?" Ochako inquired. The bleeding looked like it had stopped, so that was a good sign at least.

"Don't worry about it!" the green haired boy smiled at her. "It just happens sometimes… because of my quirk."

Ah, so she was right. She nodded in understanding.

"Excuse me," a voice suddenly called out to the two teens. They turned their heads to see a small woman who—despite her age—seemed to exude a surprising amount of energy.

"R-Recovery Girl!" the boy leaning on Ochako exclaimed, his face lighting up in surprise and excitement.

 _Girl?_ Ochako thought, taking in the sight of the old woman. With small, but quick steps she walked up to them.

"Do you have any injuries?" she asked as she began to poke and prod them. Ochako shook her head in response.

"No, he saved me from any serious injury," she admitted, the person in question blushing deeply at her words. "I just feel a bit nauseous."

As if on cue, her stomach turned and she had to throw up again. She just narrowly avoided getting puke all over the old nurse examining them both. "Sorry," she choked out, looking apologetic.

Recovery Girl nodded at her sympathetically. "It's alright dear. Here, eat this. It should make you feel better."

She handed Ochako a pill—candy?—and she popped it into her mouth, grimacing slightly. It would have tasted better if she didn't have vomit in her mouth still. But it did help, as a sudden rush of energy coursed through her body, and holding up the boy still leaning on her instantly became much easier.

"And you?" the old woman asked, now focusing on the boy with the big, green eyes.

"A-ah, just a light headache and some cuts and bruises… and I might have sprained something," he informed sheepishly. "Don't worry about my nose, it already stopped bleeding."

Recovery Girl nodded, right before she walked up to him and planted a quick kiss on the boy. Ochako stared, taken aback by the action, but the next moment the green haired teen was standing on his own without her support. They both stared in awe as the small cuts and bruises covering his body slowly faded away until they were gone completely.

"Better?" the old heroine asked, offering a piece of candy to the boy too, the same kind Ochako ate just a few second ago. He accepted it with a short "thank you" , before popping it into his mouth and nodded in response to the woman's question.

"Y-yeah! It's amazing, it's like all the pain disappeared. Just as expected of Recovery Girl!" he beamed at them both. It was the kind of smile that was almost hard to look at, like staring directly at the sun. "Ahaha… that was really scary though. I guess I'm lucky I didn't break anything, huh?"

Recovery Girl gave him a stern look. "Yes, you are. I cannot admonish you for protecting this girl, but try not to make self-sacrifice a habit of yours. You look like the kind of boy who would."

The boy—Ochako should really ask for his name, he did save her after all—radiant smile subdued to a meeker, sheepish one at the heroines words. "R-right…"

"Good," Recovery Girl nodded. "Now, chop chop. The practical exams may be over, but you still have the written one after this. After that you should go home and relax, your bodies have worked enough for one day."

After that she shooed them away so that she could focus on the other injured students around them. Together, they began walking back to leave the testing grounds.

Ochako was the first one to break the silence.

"That was amazing!" she exclaimed excitedly, before she caught herself. More subdued this time, she asked, "Ah, I forgot to ask! What's your name? I'm Uraraka! Uraraka Ochako."

"M-Midoriya Izuku," the boy, now Midoriya, answered, looking slightly startled. She smiled brightly at the boy in turn.

"You really saved me back there. What were you even doing so close to the robot? Everyone else was running away, I thought I was the only one left!"

"O-oh," Midoriya stuttered. "Um, well I… my quirk is foresight, so I just kinda… saw that you needed help?"

"Foresight?" she asked, eyes wide. "That's really cool! My quirk is Zero Gravity. I guess you saw it in action first hand…"

"Ah, yes! It's an amazing quirk! Zero Gravity, I mean. Um, my foresight isn't really that good. But Zero Gravity sound really useful! You'd make a great rescue hero!"

"Well, now I have experience saving people trapped beneath rubble, so I'm off to a good start," she joked. It was nice being able to relax after their near death experience, even if the adrenaline still pumping through her blood made it somewhat of a challenge. "I think you'd make a good rescue hero too, with your foresight."

"Yeah… maybe," Midoriya said wistfully. An odd look passing over his face for a second, before it was gone.

They had exited the exam grounds when a loud voice suddenly called out to them. Or more specifically, to Midoriya. "OI, SHITNERD!"

Ochako jerked her head toward it, a frown marring her face at the rude name calling. She noticed a somewhat familiar head of shaggy blonde hair approaching them. Wait, familiar?

It suddenly came back to her. Why she felt like she'd seen the green haired boy before somewhere, along with his blonde companion. Midoriya was the boy she stopped from falling before the practical exam took place. In all the commotion she had forgotten their little encounter—almost getting crushed to death by a giant robot does that to a person—but now that she could finally relax and think, she knew why those green eyes and freckles looked so familiar.

She remembered the blonde too. He had been walking beside Midoriya when they first arrived at U.A., and was also the reason the boy almost smashed his head face first in the asphalt in to begin with.

She grimaced at the memory. From the little she'd seen of the blonde, from the glares he threw at anyone that got too close to his crude language, he didn't exactly strike her as someone very friendly, nor nice for that matter. She had to wonder about the relationship between the angry boy and the shy, green haired one beside her. They clearly knew each other. Was he Midoriya's bully?

"Kacchan!" Midoriya called out, face lighting up in excitement. _Odd._ Alright, so maybe he wasn't a bully, but it was hard to imagine that this 'Kacchan' was actually a friend of Midoriya's. They personalities didn't exactly seem… compatible.

"Who the hell is this bitch?" the blonde stopped in front of them, glaring at Ochako. She bristled at the insult and defiantly glared back, opening her mouth with some very choice words at the tip of her tongue—

"Kacchan! That isn't very nice!" Midoriya scolded with a heavy frown on his face. "This is Uraraka-san. She stopped me from tripping before the exam, remember?"

"Right. Her." The boy—Kacchan?—didn't look very impressed. He was still glaring at her. Or maybe that was just his default expression? "Still didn't answer my fucking question."

The downturned corners of Midoriya's mouth relaxed into a soft smile. "She saved me," he said simply. Ochako's eyes widened at the boy's sincerity and a deep, scarlet blush overtook her face.

"No no no! You saved _me,_ " she corrected and attempted to wrestle her fierce blush into control with pure willpower. It didn't go very well, and Ochako's denials resulted in a small argument between her and Midoriya of who exactly saved whom, until Kacchan told them to " _shut the fuck up_ ".

Midoriya shut his mouth quickly. Ochako quietened as well, but it didn't stop her from sending her deadliest glare at the boy. It went ignored.

"I don't give a fuck who saved whom," he said with a very clearly annoyed expression on his face. "What I want to fucking know is—Deku, did you pass?"

 _Deku?_ Ochako frowned at the odd nickname.

"U-um, well…" Midoriya began. "Ah, why don't I tell you when we eat?" he suggested with a big, bright smile. "There's so much that happened! I have to tell you all about it!"

"Whatever," Kacchan scoffed. He cast a sour glance at Ochako one more time. "Say goodbye to your girlfriend and let's fucking go."

Midoriya blushed deeply in embarrassment at Kacchan's comment and began spluttering. "S-she's not my girlfriend, Kacchan! J-just a nice girl that helped me. I barely even know her!"

Kacchan face morphed into a very odd looking expression at the other boy's reaction. It almost looked like he was fighting down a smirk. Ochako's brows furrowed deeper. Was he teasing Midoriya? Perhaps they got along better than she originally thought.

The blonde was abrasive for sure, but Midoriya didn't seem bothered by it. Perhaps Ochako shouldn't be as quick as she had to judge people. Still, she had her doubts that _she_ would be able to get along with the rude boy. But for Midoriya's sake—whom she'd barely known for more than a few hours, yet found herself surprisingly fond of—she would give this Kacchan a chance. If he really was Midoriya's friend, there must be a good reason for it, right?

But Ochako couldn't help a gnawing suspicion that perhaps the bright eyed boy with his warm smiles might just be too kind and forgiving for his own good. She dearly hoped she was wrong.

* * *

Kacchan was sipping on his cola through a straw, his mug of soda in one hand and his bacon cheeseburger in the other. "So? What the fuck were you and that round face chick going on about earlier?"

Izuku perked up, eyes sparkling in excitement. He chewed and swallowed his food quickly so that he could speak, choking slightly in his haste.

"Chew your fucking food, dumbass," Katsuki said and kicked Izuku's legs under the table in annoyance. Izuku gave an apologetic smile between his coughs in response.

"Sorry," he said once his airways were sufficiently cleared. "It's just—things happened so fast back there and it was really scary, but—but I did it! Kacchan, I did it! I used my quirk to save someone!" the boy finished happily, his big trademark smile lighting up his face as he recalled the events of the practicals.

"You're becoming fucking dement. You used your quirk to fight that slime villain before, remember?" the blonde responded and took a big bite out of his food.

"Huh?" Izuku blinked at him, intelligently.

"'Huh?' The hell you mean, 'huh'? Did you seriously fucking forget? Or is meeting All Might all you can fucking remember, you overly obsessed shitnerd?"

"Hey!" Izuku frowned. He wasn't _that_ obsessed, was he? Sure, he owned a few All Might figurines, posters, comics, underwear… but didn't everyone? "Of course I remember, it's just… I was surprised. I didn't think Kacchan would bring that up. Besides, I'm sure you could have handled that villain without me!"

Kacchan made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a groan and kicked Izuku under the table again. "Don't get your fucking panties in a twist over it, Deku," the blonde said, giving him an utterly unimpressed look. Then his eyes narrowed. "You used your quirk. Teleport or foresight?"

"Foresight," the green haired teen answered, not missing a beat. "I didn't forget."

Kacchan nodded. "Good."

After that, Izuku proceeded to tell his blonde friend in detail about how he at first struggled to gain any points as people kept stealing them from right under his nose (he ignored Kacchan's quip that he "should have just punched them, too"). Between that and the fact that even with his gloves, destroying a robot with only some well placed punches was no easy task; he had only incapacitated a handful of the pretend villains before the zero point one showed up. After that he struggled to save the round faced girl, Uraraka Ochako, from getting trapped beneath a heavy pile of rubble caused by the machine's rampage.

Katsiki scoffed as Izuku retold the story of how he, in panic, pushed the girl out of harm's way and ended up getting trapped himself. He thought he heard the blonde mutter something about "stupid Deku", but the blonde let him continue recounting the tale without further interruptions.

Once he finished, Kacchan asked the question Izuku had nervously been hoping to avoid. "And? Did you pass?"

"Um," he began anxiously and eloquently, already off to a great start. "W-well, I did get some points, but um… I'm not sure if it was enough." He gave his short-tempered friend a wobbly smile. Kacchan just glared.

"You better, or I swear to god I'll make you wish you never wanted to be a hero in the first fucking place. I didn't train you for months just so you could fucking fail," he threatened and Izuku shrunk back in his seat.

After some awkward silence where the only noise coming from the boys were the chewing of unhealthy (but delicious) food and the occasional sip of a (equally unhealthy) drink, Izuku asked, "D-do you think you passed?"

He immediately regretted it when he noticed a blonde eyebrow twitch, and he had to fight against his instincts to shield his face from any incoming explosions. Kacchan hadn't used his quirk on him for a long time (aside from training), but he would never forget the feeling of fiery explosions on raw, freckled skin and the lingering pain that would last for days afterward.

"Of course I did. Who the hell do you think I am, Deku? With my quirk, there's no way I won't be accepted," the explosive blonde proclaimed boldly and began to sip his drink aggressively. Izuku didn't dare ask any more questions. At least Kacchan didn't kick his legs again.

They sat like that, eating their food silently. Or slightly noisy in Kacchan's case, as he seemed determined to eat his cheeseburger in the most threatening manner possible. _Leave it to Kacchan to make the most mundane of tasks look like the precursor to murder,_ Izuku thought with a mixture of slight fear and wonder.

Kacchan eventually finished decimating his burger and was chewing at the last bite thoughtfully before swallowing. "We're gonna get into U.A.," he stated, locking eyes with Izuku, fierce red meeting bright green. He radiated confidence, a trait Izuku had always admired about the boy. It was enough that just staring into those calm eyes filled with such certainty, certain that they would pass, certain that they would become heroes, that it overflowed and washed over Izuku's own frazzled nerves to fill him with newfound determination. "Anyone that gets in the way will get an ass kicking so hard it sends them into spatial orbit."

"...even if they were All Might?"

"Especially if they are All Might. I'm gonna have to kick his ass before becoming number one anyways."

And despite Izuku's mind telling him he should feel offended on behalf of his hero and idol after Kacchan's bold declaration, he could only smile.

"Yeah," he said. "Guess you're right."

* * *

Izuku pranced around his room giddy and nervous, waiting for the person on the other side of the line to pick up his phone call. When he finally heard the telltale _beep_ of a phone being answered he cried out, "Kacchan!"

"Don't yell in my fucking ear," Kacchan grumbled from the other line. "The fuck do you want, Deku?"

Izuku couldn't hold it in any longer as a laugh bubbled up and forced it's way out his throat. "I did it! I passed!"

Kacchan was silent for a moment, when finally—

"Yeah. I fucking told you."

* * *

 **AN: Man, this chapter was hard to write. I don't even know why. I just didn't really feel it when I was writing, you know? (Except for Ochako VS the robot of death and doom, that was fun.) But when I re-read what I wrote it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. I gotta say though, it's pretty fun writing about Izuku using his quirk from another persons perspective. :)**

 **Oh yeah, and if you noticed, I didn't really use honorifics aside from one instance. I think I'm only gonna use honorifics when they are talking to each other, and not in their thoughts... or something like that.**

 **Also, I just had a great idea for this fic earlier today. I won't spoil it, but I'm pretty excited, even if it won't happen for a long time... oh well. Now I have something to look forward to. I think you guys will like it. ;)**

 **Welp. Next chapter might be slightly boring. I dunno. I guess that depends on what you think is interesting? But it's necessary. Probably gonna be a bit shorter too.**


	4. Chapter 3: Troublesome

Today was a good day. Or at least it should have been, if not for a certain blonde menace who seemed to have made it his mission to be as irritating as humanly possible.

Tenya sighed into his hands, exasperated. U.A. was supposed to be a school for elites; he couldn't believe they'd let a delinquent like this attend! It was a disgrace, it was.

"Please remove your feet from the desk!" he tried for what was probably the third time, waving his hands furiously. "Not only is it bad manners, but it is also disrespectful to all students who have used this seat before you and those to come!"

They boy just grinned cruelly at him. "Make me."

Then he kicked at the table for emphasis, loosening flakes of dirt from the soles of his brown shoes that rained down onto the surface below. Tenya opened his mouth to protest at this rude and shameful display of blatant disrespect, but before he could voice his thoughts he was interrupted by a cheerful voice calling out "Good morning, Kacchan!".

Tenya and the blonde hellion turned around at the same time to address the newcomer and found a pair of large emerald eyes staring back at them.

"Deku," the rowdy teen said, giving a small nod of acknowledgement. The new boy smiled, but when he noticed Tenya his expression fell.

"Oh," he uttered, shifting his gaze back to the blonde. "You aren't causing trouble already, are you Kacchan?"

'Kacchan' snorted. "I don't need you scolding me, _mom._ "

Tenya observed the freckled and curly haired boy for a moment. He thought he recognized him from somewhere.

That's right, he remembered now! He was the boy distracting all the other participants with his incessant muttering during Present Mic's introduction to the U.A. entrance exams! _Great, more trouble._

"Looks like my seat is behind you," the small boy addressed his delinquent friend. "Isn't that great?"

Tenya wondered if this boy was a delinquent too. He didn't look the type, but appearances could be deceiving. A wolf in sheep's clothing, as the idiom goes.

"You think I care?" the troublesome blonde dismissed his friend with a scoff. The other boy payed no mind to the biting comment, instead focusing his attention to Tenya.

"I'm sorry if Kacchan is causing you any trouble," he apologized with a timid smile. "But please don't think any less of him! We're all here to become heroes, right?"

The blonde reacted at this. With a narrowed eyes aimed at his friend he said: "I don't need your help, Deku. Ignore shitty glasses; I didn't come here to deal with some prissy, stuck up elitist."

Tenya was taken aback by the insults, shocked by the boy's rudeness. He furrowed his thick brows deeply and was just about to retort, but before he could get a words out he was interrupted for the second time today.

"It's you!" yet another cheerful voice joined them, but it belonged to a female this time. "I'm so glad you got in, Midoriya-kun!"

"U-Uraraka-san!" the green haired boy, Midoriya, greeted the round faced girl sporting a brown bob haircut. "You got accepted too!"

"Yup!" she replied with a big smile. Tenya eyed her critically, praying that she wasn't here to cause trouble as well. "I look forward to being friends with you."

"F-f-friends?!" Midoriya stuttered as his face turned increasingly red. "O-of course! It would be an honor!"

He bowed deeply and Uraraka giggled. His blonde friend meanwhile looked on in mild annoyance while Tenya was left completely ignored.

"The hell are you bowing for, stupid Deku? You're embarrassing yourself," the delinquent said, the corners of his mouth turned down in disapproval of the freckled boy's actions.

"S-sorry, Kacchan…" Midoriya apologized after he returned from his bow.

"And stop apologizing so much, it's annoying."

"R-right!" the emerald eyed boy nodded with his fists raised in the air. Finally Tenya found a good moment to chime in and prepared to speak—right before the classroom door slid open for a third time in this short span of time and a tired voice spoke.

"Alright, simmer down, take your seats and be quiet."

The previous jovial chatter of the class (and watching the drama unfold between Uraraka, Midoriya, Tenya and the blonde boy) died down into complete silence as they all saw the prone form just outside the door to their classroom. Tenya stared in disbelief, taking in the appearance of the man—their teacher?—laying on the floor, wrapped up in a bright yellow sleeping bag. His shaggy appearance and unshaven stubble made him looks like a homeless person. Sufficed to say, the blue haired teen was not impressed. Was this really what U.A. had to offer? Delinquents and faculty member's who looked like they belonged on a park bench more than they did in a classroom?

But the bespectacled teen did not voice his thoughts aloud. Instead, he quietly took his seat, but not before casting one last distasteful glance at the blonde menace for good measure, who narrowed his red eyes just as fiercely in response, before concentrating on his new teacher's words.

He introduced himself as Aizawa Shouta, before he announced their class would forego the opening ceremony in favor of a quirk evaluation test. Tenya did not know whether he should respect his teacher for focusing on their education rather than waste time with unnecessary customs, or disapprove of him breaking tradition.

The quirk evaluation test was just what it sounded like. Students would go through a series of different physical exercises in which they were allowed to use their quirk as they saw fit to obtain the best result. One of the students—Bakugou Katsuki, the troublesome delinquent from this morning—was called up by Aizawa to demonstrate.

It was a ball throwing test, and with a shout of "DIE!" and a bright explosion, the ball was sent flying, becoming an increasingly small dot in the distance before eventually disappearing. Tenya had to admit, the boy's quirk was certainly impressive, but his attitude needed some severe adjustments before he could be called hero material.

With a blank expression Aizawa displayed the results: 705.2 meters. Several hushed whispers of amazement ran through the class. "So manly!" someone whisper-shouted from somewhere behind Tenya.

"Oh, and whoever gets the lowest overall score is expelled," their teacher announced after the whispers finally died down and Bakugou returned to the fold, which only caused the commotion to immediately start up again, only this time much louder than before. The large grin that accompanied Aizawa's words did little to calm the students down.

"Expelled?"

"What does he mean expelled?! Can he really do that?"

"And I just barely got in!"

Tenya stayed quiet. He was confident in his abilities to pass, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't at least slightly nervous. _This is what I've been training for,_ he reminded himself. He came from a family of heroes; he was born to do this! If he failed now, he could never look his brother in the eyes again.

He did feel some preemptive sympathy for whoever wouldn't make the cut—not that he didn't understand his teacher's reasoning to expel someone with no hero potential, but it did seem a bit harsh.

He shook his head to dispel the distracting thoughts. He couldn't worry about that now, he had to concentrate on himself and make sure he got a result he could be proud of! There were many impressive quirks here and while he was very proud of his Engine, he knew it wouldn't be able to measure up to some of his classmates. He couldn't afford to slack off.

He pushed his quirks to it's limits, only stopping short of revealing his Recipro Burst—he didn't want his classmates to know about _that_ quite yet. He could tell everyone else were giving their best as well—almost everyone, at least. From what he could tell, the Midoriya boy hadn't used his quirk once, and he was falling behind.

Was his quirk not applicable for these exercises? Or was there something else? How did he get accepted to U.A. in the first place?

His musing were cut short when they all finished up the last exercise. The whole class was a bundle of nerves while they all waited for Aizawa to announce their scores and ultimately decide the fate of whoever ended last. Midoriya was practically shaking and his troublesome friend slapped a hand on his shoulder to keep him still.

Class 1-A all took a collective deep breath as the scoreboard was displayed, projected as a hologram by the device their teacher had used earlier to measure their scores, and released it simultaneously once it was clear they didn't place last. Well, aside from one students of course.

Midroiya face was beginning to turn red when he still hadn't expelled the air in his lungs and his friend had to slap his back a few times to remind him to breathe. Now he was just staring dumbly at the last name on the scoreboard. _Midoriya Izuku._

The small boy was already garnering sympathetic glances from the rest of the class as he seemed to deflate on himself and finally ceased his shaking. His blonde companion however didn't even so much as look at him, his gaze to busy focusing elsewhere. Namely, on Aizawa.

He was glaring. It wasn't the same kind of glare from this morning, the kind who looked at Tenya as if he were little more than a bug to be stepped on. This glare was much more intense, the red eyes seemingly aglow from the heat contained within. Tenya was ashamed to admit he was glad it wasn't directed at him, but Aizawa didn't look like he even noticed the blonde who was currently trying to set him on fire with his eyes alone.

"Bullshit," the agitated blonde ground out, effectively drawing everyone's attention from the unfortunate boy who would be expelled on his first day of school to the explosive quirk user. His hand, which was still gripping his green haired friends shoulder, tightened dangerously and Tenya could tell by Midoriya's soft grimace that it must hurt.

Aizawa just looked at him blankly, unimpressed. One eyebrow raised questioningly, but it seemed more of a formality than anything. "Do you have any complaints, Bakugou?" he asked in a too tired, too bored voice. Bakugou's eyebrow twitched.

"Damn straight I do. What the hell is this bullshit? Just because Deku's stupid fucking quirk is useless for your stupid fucking tests, you're gonna throw him out?"

"That's the idea, yes," Aizawa answered, looking like he wanted nothing more than to go take a nap in a corner somewhere. But Bakugou wasn't finished.

"What kind of logic is that?!" he roared, letting go of Midoriya and taking a threatening step forward. His friend looked surprised by the outburst and wisely cowered at a safe distance from the blonde's twitching fingers.

"Kacchan…" he tried, but Bakugou just turned his heated stare to him instead.

"Shut up Deku," he ordered before he turned back to face their shaggy looking teacher. "I'm not gonna let Deku get expelled after I spent months training his useless ass, just because of some flawed 'quirk evaluation' test," he declared boldly, challenging any who dare oppose him—which in this case would be their teacher.

"Oh?" the person in question replied. "So you think Midoriya has what it takes to be a hero?"

Bakugou was silent for a moment. He glanced back at his freckled friend as if sizing him up. Then, he turned his gaze to roam over the rest of their class and spoke.

"More than these extras do."

The audacious comment sparked cacophony of sound. Each student was protesting his claim, in varying degrees of loudness.

"Hey!"

"Extras?"

"You could have just said 'yes'!"

Tenya was tempted to chime in himself to scold the brash teen for his insolence, but decided against it. Especially after their disgruntled teacher glared at them all. He was only looking more tired by the second, and no one aside for Bakugou wanted to test his patience any further, lest they all get expelled.

Or not.

"Um," a timid voice spoke up, belonging to Uraraka Ochako, who looked somewhat unsure of whether she should continue or not once everyone's eyes turned to her.

She did anyways.

"I don't know about 'extras', but I believe in Midoriya-kun as well!" she smiled, pumping her fists in the air. "If it weren't for him, I'm not sure I'd be here now."

Tenya quirked an eyebrow at that. He didn't know what the girl was talking about; what did Midoriya do that was so important? He had to make sure to ask her about it later.

But that proved to be unnecessary as Aizawa answered his unasked question in his next sentence. "Ah yes, he pushed you out of the way of a falling pile of debris during the entrance exams, correct?"

Uraraka nodded in confirmation. Tenya perked up at this new bit of information and glanced over at Midoriya in surprise. The boy was currently chewing on his lip anxiously and glancing between Bakugou, Uraraka and their teacher. He jumped when Aizawa addressed him, who was still wearing the same expression of boredom that seemed to be permanently affixed to his face.

"And is this how you plan to become a hero?" he asked. "You think you can save people by injuring yourself in their place? If it weren't for Uraraka's quirk, would you have been able to free yourself?"

"Um…" Midoriya hesitated, lowering a his gaze to the ground and tugged at the hem of his gym uniform nervously. Apparently realizing that his teacher was right, he hung his head in shame and answered negatively. "No."

"And I hope you realize you can't expect a civilian or other heroes to come to your rescue whenever you hurt yourself," the sleep deprived teacher continued, mincing no words to spare the freckled student's feelings. Midoriya just nodded in defeat.

"I understand," he sighed in agreement. He looked frustrated, biting his bottom lip and furrowing his brows deeply. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but refrained, just nodding solemnly at his teacher's words.

But Bakugou wasn't satisfied. "Yeah, Deku fucked up as usual. But it's your job to teach him how to not be so useless, isn't it?"

His green haired friend glanced toward the blonde while their teacher adopted an expression of complete unamusement. They held a silent staring contest for a minute. Aizawa was the first to blink.

"...you're right. But there's no point in teaching someone with zero potential," their teacher spoke, breaking the silence. Something flashed in Bakugou's eyes for a moment hearing those words, but it was gone just as quick as it came, and his face settled pointedly.

"Deku isn't weak," he declared. His tone and expression left no room for argument and people were quietly glancing from him to Midoriya. His green haired companion lifted his head to stare at his friend, his big green eyes opened wide in wonder. He still looked nervous, but a small smile now graced his lips instead of his previous deep frown.

Aizawa didn't answer immediately, but eventually spoke as he reached a decision. With a deep sigh and muttering something about "not being paid nearly enough to deal with this" he responded.

"Fine," he said, even if he still didn't look completely convinced. But there must have been something in Bakugou's eyes or voice that convinced Aizawa to let the freckled boy stay. "Midoriya will get another chance to impress me, but if he fails to deliver, it won't matter how much you curse or yell at me. He's out. Is that clear?"

Midoriya nodded his head frantically, grateful tears springing up in the corners of his eyes. Bakugou scoffed dismissively, but did give a curt nod of confirmation. Uraraka smiled in relief and gave Midoriya a quick thumbs up, while the previously tense atmosphere of the class dissipated and everyone began chatting animatedly with each other about what just happened after their teacher dismissed them. Aizawa sent one last meaningful look towards the green haired boy who gulped nervously in response.

Tenya decided that now would be a good time to approach the freckled teen. The boy startled at his approach and looked nervous as he addressed him. "Can I help you?"

Tenya took a deep breath before bowing deeply. "I would like to apologize!"

"H-huh?" Midoriya looked startled, face painted in surprise at the blue haired teen's sudden apology. Tenya continued.

"I seem to have misjudged you," he admitted as he straightened his back, returning from the bow. "I thought you were just here to cause trouble, but I admit I may have made a mistake.

"A hero's first priority should be to protect others. I was not there to see it, but from Uraraka-kun's and Aizawa-sensei's words, it sounds like you sacrificed your own safety for someone else's. Is this correct?"

"Um, yeah… I guess," Midoriya scratched the back of his fluffy head awkwardly. Tenya nodded.

"I initially had my doubts, but by that information I can tell you are serious about your convictions to become a hero. Again, I apologize for judging you so quickly."

The other boy finally seemed to relax and his round face melted into a soft smile. "It's fine. I thought you were kind of scary at first, but now I see that you are just very earnest."

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud voice shouting at them. "Hey Deku! Get your ass over here, or do you want to get late to class?"

Unsurprisingly, the voice belonged to no other than Midroiya's blonde friend. His gaze lingered on Tenya for a moment and frowned, but didn't comment any further. Just motioned with his head for his green haired friend to follow.

"Coming Kacchan!" Midoriya replied before turning back to Tenya. "See you in class!" he smiled.

Tenya nodded. He looked to Bakugou, and before Midoriya was out of earshot, he spoke. "I have to say though, I'm surprised that you are friends with someone like Bakugou-kun."

The freckled boy paused in his step, turned, and looked at Tenya with his brows furrowed and mouth set in a frown. "Pardon?" he asked.

"It's unexpected, is all. A troublemaker like him is hardly befitting of becoming a hero," the bespectacled teen answered honestly. "Besides, he should treat people with more respect. His friends, especially."

Tenya gave the boy a pointed look, but Midoriya's expression didn't relax. He eyed the blue haired teen watchfully before he spoke.

"Kacchan will become a great hero," he said, and his frown deepened. "And you shouldn't talk about things you don't understand."

Then he turned on his heel to catch up to the spiky haired blonde. Tenya was fixed in place, taken aback by the seemingly timid boy's sudden hostility. _Did I say something wrong?_

He stood there, honestly not sure whether he should apologize to Midoriya or not. Shaking his head, he began walking back toward the school building, not wanting to be late for class. He passed by the gravity girl, Uraraka, who was staring after Bakugou and Midoriya walking side by side, a thoughtful look on her face. She smiled at Tenya when she noticed him and fell in step beside him.

"You spoke to Midoriya," she stated simply. Tenya raised a thick eyebrow questioningly.

"Indeed I did," he answered. He let out a small sigh. "But I'm afraid I might have offended him."

"Yeah, I saw," Uraraka responded. "You did kinda speak ill of his friend right in front of him."

Tenya let out a frustrated huff of breath. "I was only being honest. Forgive me, but I don't think friends should call each other useless or tell them to shut up."

"Maybe," the small girl said. She worried her lips with her brows pulled together for a moment, before relaxing. "Or maybe that's just how Bakugou-kun communicates?"

She spoke aloud, but Tenya had the feeling the question was directed more to herself rather than him. Not that he had an answer to give her either way.

The rest of the trip back to their classroom was spent in silence.

* * *

Deku was humming happily, a soft smile on his face.

"What?" Katsuki snapped after the constant droning noise was too much for his frazzled nerves to take; he was still in a bad mood after the whole ordeal with Aizawa. Deku just smiled wider.

"Thanks, Kacchan!"

Katsuki stared at his beaming face for a few seconds. Then he scoffed, pushing Deku's face away with the palm of his hand.

"Whatever."

* * *

 **AN: Boy, I hope I made Iida justice. I felt like I wrote him a bit to mean, maybe? I dunno.**

 **Well, maybe not the most exciting chapter, but it had to happen. I've decided in what direction I want this story to go; basically, I'll be following canon as much as I can, and see how much Deku's new quirk will change stuff.**

 **Also, people correct me if I did any mistake with the honorifics. It's kinda hard to keep track of what everyone calls each other. I actually looked up an episode to see what honorifics Aizawa use when talking to his students, but I didn't notice any? Granted, it was just one name I heard, so...**

 **And I hope I did Aizawa justice too. I feel like he's very stubborn so it's hard to win an argument with him, but I also feel like just doesn't have the energy to deal with an angry Katsuki. (Seriously, who would?)**

 **Oh, and one more important thing... so, I talked about how I might turn this into Bakudeku before. And while I do love that ship, I'm not entirely sure any more. Please don't be too disappointed! :( It's just... I have no clue how to write romance. Bakudeku is still not completely off the table, but just a warning. But even if their relationship won't turn romantic, they will still grow very close! That's like the most important aspects of this fic: Deku's time manipulation quirk and his relationship with Katsuki.**

 **And this information isn't really important, just some behind the scenes stuff that I thought might be interesting. When I was first coming up with Izuku's quirk I, I had this idea that Izuku could only rewind time on the world around him. But when he does, people wouldn't notice when he "teleports". Basically, their memory of watching Izuku use his quirk would "correct" itself to whatever the mind deemed most logical. So if Izuku used his quirk to teleport a short distance, to any spectators, their mind would correct it to Izuku just being a really fast runner, or something along those lines.**

 **However, this only works in person. If someone were to record Izuku teleporting and rewatch the footage, they would notice that hey, that dude just teleported! I thought that would have been kinda cool (and really scary!) and Izuku would have been more free to use his ability but would eventually be discovered through a recording of him teleporting, but I decided against it for different reasons. But hey, if you wanna use this idea, go ahead. I still think it would have been really cool.**


	5. Chapter 4: Unforeseen Circumstances

A lot of things happened after the quirk evaluation test—U.A. was everything, and more, that Izuku imagined it to be. Iida ended up elected as class president (after a lot of commotion and indecisiveness, including a false intruder alert after the press somehow got onto school grounds in their desperate attempt to gain some scoop on All Might's new teacher's position) with Yaoyorozu taking the position as vice-president. Seeing as they both possessed strong discipline and high intellect, both desirable traits for such an important position, filled Izuku with a sense of comfort. Iida took to his new responsibilities like a duck to water, even if his earnestness, while appreciated, sometimes got the better of him.

Then there was the battle simulation. When All Might burst through the classroom door (in his silver age costume no less!) Izuku made an undignified yelp in an attempt to choke down his squeal of excitement. Fortunately, the class erupting into delighted shouts and cheers drowned out his embarrassing fanboyism. The hero just laughed heartedly before announcing today's lesson: the Trial of Battle. As if that wasn't thrilling enough, they were also instructed to don their hero costumes, bringing the volume in the classroom up to worrying decibels.

"Please quiet down! I know we are all very excited, but it would not do for future heroes to damage their sense of hearing!" Iida attempted to calm his classmates, overlooking the fact that his own voice only added to the commotion.

When All Might recognised him and Kacchan, he gave them a short greeting of recognition. "I was glad when I saw you two applied for the Hero Course! You both did very well!" he complimented, flashing them an All Might trademarked smile and a thumbs up. Then he glanced to Izuku. "You have a lot of gut and determination, my boy!"

Seeing everyone's costumes were almost as exciting as observing their quirks for the first time. Kacchan scoffed when he saw Izuku's, complaining it was "too wimpy."

"I can't even tell if you're supposed to be a bunny or All Might," he said, gesturing to the antennae like protrusions sticking up from Izuku's hood. But in his own opinion, Kacchan's costume was way too extreme, even if it did look cool on him... Still, the blond put _way_ too much emphasis on explosions; it was almost worrying. He really hoped those grenades on his belt weren't real. The rational part of his brain told him that there was no way that U.A. would ever agree to equip their students with something so dangerous, but being the worrywart he was and knowing Kacchan, he couldn't help but wonder.

Nevertheless, the freckled boy wouldn't trade his hero costume for the world, dorky as it may be. Not when his mother had been kind enough to sew a large part of it herself. He decided to combine his outfit with the red weighted gloves gifted to him by Kacchan—at least that part the spiky haired boy approved of.

After everyone dressed up in their costumes and All Might finished praising their sense of style, he begun to explain today's exercise for them. They would fight against each other in teams of two, with half of the teams serving as villains and the other half as heroes. A team of heroes would battle a team of villains to secure a fake nuclear weapon. To win, the hero team had to either capture both villains or touch the pretend bomb. They had fifteen minutes to complete this task. Similarly, the villain team could achieve victory either by taking the heroes out or hold on until time was up.

The teams were randomized, along with who would be playing good or bad guy. Izuku ended up paired with Uraraka, playing the role of heroes, going against Iida and Kacchan. The match had been a close call as the balance of skill between both teams were fairly even. After so much practise together, the blonde and the freckled boy could read each other's moves like an open book.

But out of the two, Kacchan was the teacher and Izuku the student. And aside from his superior experience and natural instincts, the spiky haired teen had the advantage of being able to fully utilize his quirk, unlike the shorter boy. Even with his weighted gloves, it did little to even the situation, as the heavy grenade like gauntlets that decorated the blonde's arms worked in a similar fashion to lend power to his explosive punches.

Most eyes focused on the battle between the two childhood friends. Their eyes were glued to the screen as they watched the explosive teen and the boy who could see the future grapple with each other, throwing punch after vicious punch, spitting blood and even a tooth. And even though the fighters couldn't hear them, they still cheered them on, wondering who would come out on top.

While the boys fought, Uraraka closed in on Iida. But when she arrived, she was met with the unwelcome sight of a room completely void of clutter or any loose objects she could use her quirk on. Iida apparently had the foresight to remove anything that could be used to the gravity girl's advantage, and without anything to float, it was easy for him to thwart any and all attempts to secure the bomb, despite her best efforts.

Izuku only fared slightly better. After executing an impressive overhead throw and narrowly avoiding some way-to-close-for-comfort explosions courtesy of Kacchan, the blonde finally got a significant hit in. It dazed the green haired boy long enough for the taller teen to deliver a headbutt with enough force to send Izuku into the all-too-familiar arms of unconsciousness.

When he eventually came to, it was to Kacchan carrying him out of the exercise area in his arms.

"Morning, loser," he smirked down at him. The heroes lost. Uraraka reprimanded the blonde for using excessive force with nods of approval from Iida, but Izuku didn't mind (though he did frown disapprovingly when Kacchan told them to "fuck off").

He was disappointed that he lost, but not surprised. In fact, he had expected this outcome from the start. But even so, he put up as much of a fight he could without resorting to using his quirk, as did Kacchan, but didn't hold back in the quirk department. Kacchan never held back against anyone, and he hated it when people didn't give him the same courtesy, as Izuku eventually learned. If anyone ever _dared_ pull their punches against him, he saw it as a personal slight and as proof his opponent was looking down on him. The only exception was Izuku, but only when the boy couldn't get away with using his time rewind for one reason or another.

Izuku understood his friend's point of view, even if he didn't completely agree. Still, he didn't mind the ruthlessness displayed by the other in battle. Kacchan didn't brag against his victory or hold it over him, which seemed to surprise everyone else.

"This one doesn't count," he reminded the freckled boy. He nodded in understanding; unless they both could go all out, victory meant nothing. Uraraka and Iida shared confused looks, but Izuku just gave them a secretive smile in response.

But despite all the excitement—despite finally living his dream, and despite the judging looks Aizawa kept throwing his way, nothing, and he means _nothing,_ could have prepared them for the trip to the USJ.

* * *

The bus ride to the USJ was a jovial one. It was the day after Iida was elected class president, and everyone chattered excitedly about what they thought today's lesson would entail, along with talks about their respective quirks and abilities. Izuku did his best to answer any questions thrown his way; even if he was used to lying about his powers, he never got over the feeling that what he did was wrong.

He giggled when Kacchan was ribbed by their classmates; it was so unusual to see the short fused blonde being on the receiving end of teasing words and playful jabs. Back in middle school, even after Kacchan began to hang out with 'that loser Deku', it didn't make people any less terrified of his explosions and snarling threats.

Izuku hoped Kacchan would make some new friends at U.A. He already got along well with Uraraka himself, and though he still found Iida slightly intimidating, he could tell that the boy meant well.

"What are you laughing at?" Kacchan grumbled and flicked Izuku's forehead in irritation when the freckled boy couldn't stifle his chuckles, but this only caused him to laugh harder. Kacchan crossed his arms and scowled, and it was almost cute just how grumpy he looked.

When they finally arrived at the USJ, the class was practically brimming with excitement. Izuku wasn't the only one to start gushing when the space hero, Number Thirteen, greeted them out the front doors and informed them he would be joining them as a teacher this lesson.

"Ooh, it's the gentlemanly rescue hero, Thirteen! I really admire him!" Uraraka exclaimed, bouncing in place excitedly. Izuku nodded wildly in agreement and fought to restrain himself from entering his Nerd Mode (as named by Kacchan) and list all the facts he knew by heart concerning the space suit wearing hero.

But there was one teacher, who _should have_ been here, which noticeably wasn't—as pointed out by Aizawa.

"Where is all Might?" he questioned. Thirteen shook his head in response and held up three fingers in the air—what they signalled, Izuku wasn't sure. The two heroes conversed privately for a moment in hushed murmurs, while he himself leaned his head to whisper to Kacchan.

"What do you think happened? I hope All Might is okay…"

Kacchan shouldered him lightly as he replied. "It's All Might. Of course he's okay."

Izuku nodded. He's right; All Might is the number one hero, there's nothing he can't handle! The world could throw itself at him, and he would still come out on top, smiling.

 _I hope me and Kacchan can be like that someday…_ he thought longingly, a small smile playing across his lips.

His thoughts were interrupted when Thirteen called for their attention. A hush swept over the room, ready and eager to learn why they were here.

"As I'm sure you all already know, my quirk 'Black Hole' turn whatever it sucks in into dust."

After the students nodded to show that they were listening, the teacher continued.

"And I'm also sure you understand that a power like this can easily be used to harm someone, intentional or not. Much like your own quirks."

Izuku mulled over that while a quiet murmur spread through the crowd of students. It's true, he supposed. Killing someone using his quirk would be exceedingly easy… if he wanted to, that is. It's not something he could ever achieve by accident, thankfully, but a more destructive quirk like Kacchan's could easily cause injuries if handled incorrectly. The small, faded burn marks that littered the skin of blonde's body from days long past when his quirk first manifested was proof of that.

Thirteen continued his speech for a while longer, explaining the roles of quirks in today's society and topping it off with "By the end of this lesson, I hope you all leave it knowing that your quirks exist to help people, not harm them."

He wrapped it up with a bow, to the cheering and praise of his students. Izuku modestly joined Iida's exaggerated clapping, but refrained from raising his voice to add to the blue haired teens shouts of "Bravo! BRAVO!". Instead, he settled for quietly thinking _Pro heroes really are something amazing!_

Kacchan stood idly by his side. He didn't join his classmates cheer, but his red irises were trained on Thirteen. His fingers ran absentmindedly over the bumps and dips of an old and faded scar on his arm. It was one of the bigger ones, from a hot summer day back in kindergarten. It was hard to tell exactly what he was thinking, but even the volatile blonde couldn't be immune to such well delivered and inspiring words.

When the noisy heroes-in-training calmed down, Aizawa spoke, causing any further comments to still and the class to settle down. No one dared speak over the dead eyed hero.

"Alright, now that that's done with, let us…" he began, but his tired voice trailed off into silence as he noticed something in his peripheral vision. Turning his head, his attention shifted from his students to focus completely on the sight of swirling black mist right in the heart of the USJ plaza. Izuku, along with the rest of his classmates, were noticeably confused and unnerved by the grim expression that shadowed their usually nonchalant teacher's face. A hand—actually, there was more than one, many more than was natural ( _one two three…_ Izuku counted)—appeared out of the ever shifting void; a void that was increasing in size and growing larger by the second.

After the hands came a face, with pale skin and a glaring red gaze that reminded Izuku of Kacchan, partially obscured by the disembodied hand attached to his face and his stringy, ashen hair that fell messily into his eyes and peeked through thin, dead fingers. He stepped out of the—portal?—to gaze lazily around the spacious building, pausing on the mass of students near the entrance. But it didn't just stop with the one terrifying stranger; more and more, they continued to flood the plaza, continuously pouring out the black mist until they filled the floor in a thick horizontal line, advancing toward them. Izuku's brows furrowed. Who were these people? Heroes? If they were, they must be really obscure, because he didn't recognize any of them. In fact, they were dressed more like villains if anything. But that couldn't be right… could it?

"Deku." It was Kacchan. He latched onto the green haired boy's sleeve, pulling him closer with a harsh thug, only a moment before Aizawa whirled around to yell at them—and Izuku realized he had never heard his teacher raise his voice above speaking level before.

"Stay close and don't move!" he shouted, whipping around to face Thirteen without wasting a breath. "Number Thirteen! Protect the students!"

A pit of worry grew in Izuku's stomach, growing into a dark void much like the one the villains arrived with, because that's what they were—villains. Actual, real life villains.

Of course, Izuku had seen his fair share of villains before—but this wasn't the sludge, or any of the other criminals he observed his favorite heroes battle, before they eventually reached victory and took the evil doer down. This time, he wasn't just a bystander watching from the sidelines. It wasn't just a lone criminal against him and Kacchan. And there wasn't an All Might here to save them.

Just two teacher's against what looked to be hundreds of villains.

Izuku's finger's twitched, his brain working overtime to analyze the situation. How long had it been—if he rewound time now, would that just be a waste of his powers? Was there something he could do? No, of course not, fifteen seconds wasn't nearly enough to somehow convince Aizawa and the rest that they had to evacuate the building immediately—

"Stop mumbling," Kacchan interrupted his racing thoughts. His hand had moved from his sleeve to grip his shoulder tightly, while the other was raised in the air, ready to fire off a blast at any moment. "Keep your eyes on the villains. Don't use your quirk if you don't have to."

"But Kacchan, if there's something I could do—"

"Shut up. There's nothing your shitty fifteen seconds can do here."

A deep voice that Izuku didn't recognize broke off any further arguments. "Eraserhead and Number Thirteen…" it spoke, and it was only then that Izuku realized that the dark mist from earlier was _sentient,_ complete with two glowing slits for eyes as the only indication of where it's face was. "The schedule we obtained said that All Might would be here, but…"

All Might? What did these villains want with All Might? Surely they weren't here to…

Izuku swallowed hard. All Might was undefeatable. He's number one, the Symbol of Peace.

This was the line he set on repeat in his head, replaying it over and over, like an unstoppable mantra. Whether it was to reassure himself or give him courage, he didn't know.

Aizawa stood in front of his students protectively, one arm raised to hold back any of the more rebellious spirits, and to shield them from the criminals in front of them. "As I thought," he said, hard eyes narrowing in suspicion. "You were behind yesterday's events, weren't you?"

The inquiry went ignored as the man covered in hands, the first one to step out the portal, began ranting loudly to himself. "All Might… where is he… He was supposed to be here, and after all the trouble we went through… you're telling me he isn't here?" Frantic fingers scratched his neck violently, and his rough voice continuously rose in volume as the rant went on. Izuku winced at the small trickle of blood that ran down his pale neck where nails broke skin.

The villain paused for a second. "I wonder…" His red eyes, creased in disdain and just about visible through the fingers of the hand covering his face, snapped up to stare at the students. They were filled with such hate and contempt that Izuku couldn't help but flinch, bumping into Kacchan behind him. _I take it back_ — _his eyes are nothing like Kacchan!_ He couldn't suppress the panic welling in him, filling him like cold, icy water that exited his pores in rivulets of sweat, when the man uttered his next sentence.

"Maybe he will show up if we start killing the kids?"

Izuku didn't even notice when he began shaking, until Kacchan slapped a heavy hand down on his shoulder. "Chill the fuck out. If you have a panic attack now, you might as well offer yourself to the villains on a silver platter."

His voice was confident, tone even, but when Izuku craned his head to look at him, it was to meet a face too obviously schooled to look as impassive as possible for it to be natural. The blonde didn't even notice the green eyes fixed on him, to busy focusing his own gaze on the intruders. And when Izuku's gaze lowered to land on the hand that wasn't currently locked like a vice around his shoulder, he saw it clenched tight in a fist. It was trembling.

"Kacchan…"

The next moments were a blur of movements and words. Aizawa ( _Eraserhead,_ his mind supplied, finally recognizing the underground hero when his trademark yellow goggles wrapped around his head) jumped into the fray of enemies, leaving Thirteen behind to protect the students. Izuku's heart beat loudly in his chest, filled with worry and fear—for his friends, for his classmates, for his teacher, for Kacchan and himself—but watching the hero at work demonstrated the chasm of difference between a pro and an amature and brang comfort to his weary nerves. No move was wasted, and villain after villain fell before the hero as he worked, gliding over the battlefield in a mortal dance and a flurry of movements. It was to the tugging on his shoulder by Kacchan that Izuku was reminded _why_ their teacher was fighting in the first place.

Turning, reluctantly, he along with the rest of his classmates followed behind Thirteen in a mess of a crowd. They ran, aiming for the exit, when a dark cloud materialized before their eyes, blocking their way through and sealing them inside. It was the same villain from before, who appeared like dark fog in the middle of the USJ and spewing out one monstrosity after another.

 _Warp quirk,_ Izuku realized. A rare, but incredibly useful power.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," the mist said, much too calmly. It sent spikes of icy cold shivers down the boy's spine. Yellow eyes looked down on them, aglow with what could only be interpreted as malice. Despite being made of fog, he was somehow dressed in an expensive looking suit, and Izuku had to wonder how it even stayed on in the first place. Something like that should be impossible, unless…

"I apologize for the intrusion. We are the League of Villains, sent here to U.A. on a mission to extinguish the so-called Symbol of Peace, All Might." Despite the apology, the villain did not look sorry in the slightest. At least he confirmed Izuku's previous suspicion; that the goal behind this attack was to take down All Might himself. How—he wasn't sure he wanted to know. "Hm… It would seem that contradictory to the information we received, the hero in question is missing. Such a shame…"

He felt it before it happened. Kaccan's body tensed beside him, before the furious teen launched himself at the smoky villain. A violent and enraged warcry ripped out his throat, hands readied to unleash his quirk and set of a devastating blow as soon as he was in range.

"Kacchan!" Izuku cried after the spiky haired blonde. But Kacchan wasn't the only one with the same idea; a redhead named Kirishima joined the other boy mid air, the skin on his body hardening in preparation for his own attack. The villain was visibly surprised when he saw two teens flying toward him at break neck speed. Kacchan made contact, and the man was consumed by an incredible explosion, the resulting _bang_ ringing throughout the building.

Izuku squinted hard as his eyes were suddenly assaulted by bright lights. For a moment, he thought they had done it. But the smile forming on his lips died as soon as he saw the villain rematerialize behind the screen of smoke left behind by Kacchan's quirk, unharmed.

"That was quite close, but I guess it is to be expected from students of such a prestigious school as U.A.," he commented with a light chuckle. Kacchan growled and bared his teeth in a furious scowl. Kirishima, meanwhile, stood beside him with tense shoulders, quirk still active and his skin covered in soot from the close proximity to his classmates attack.

"Stay back! Don't try to fight him, just run!" Thirteen shouted at them, preparing his own quirk, Black Hole, to be used, aimed straight for the intruder.

They watched as the smoke of the villain began to fluctuate, quickly growing in size and spreading rapidly. It surrounded them on all sides, leaving no means for escape and closing them off from the rest of the world.

Without thinking, Izuku ran up to his childhood friend, calling his name. "Kacchan!" he cried, grabbing onto the blonde's arm with a firm grip. He felt weightless as he was absorbed by the villain's quirk, and with no light to penetrate the blackness, he was left floating in a dark void. He couldn't even see Kacchan, but he could still feel the warmth of his body, held tightly in his gloved hand. He clenched his fingers as hard as he could, refusing to let go. The flesh would probably be dotted with bruises from how hard his fingers pressed into the muscles, and it was very likely to anger his blonde friend, but Izuku was willing to risk it. The thought of being left behind was far more terrifying.

His mind ran a mile a minute, analysing the situation as fast as he possibly could. Once again, he thought of using his quirk, but the risk was too high. Even if he rewound now, he doubted that there was much he could do to prevent this situation.

 _I'd have to make sure the warp quirk user is disabled before he have time to use his powers… There's no way I can do that in just fifteen seconds. Even Kacchan's explosions had no effect!_

Floating in the mist, he heard the villain's deep voice penetrating his eardrums and echoing loudly in his head. "You will be scattered."

Izuku pulled Kacchan closer to him. _I could attempt to avoid the warp altogether… but what then?_

"And tortured."

He clenched his teeth. _I have to preserve my power._

"And slain."

He braced himself, for suddenly he wasn't floating any more. He was falling. With a grunt and a hiss, his body crashed down on hard ground. Kacchan, still secured in his unrelenting hold, touched down beside him, cursing loudly.

"That warp freaked fuck! I'm gonna fucking kill him!" he screamed, flailing angrily on the floor. Izuku finally let him go, and they both pushed themselves up from their uncomfortable position on the ground.

Standing up, and rubbing his smarting back with a groan, Izuku took in his surroundings. It looked like they were transported to the interior of an old and decrepit building, and he wondered if this was still part of the USJ. He sure hoped so. But more worrying than the half crumbling walls and the too hot air that stifled his lungs, were the unfamiliar faces encircling them on all sides. His heart skipped into his throat and he stumbled backwards, right into Kacchan who cursed lightly. Cruel smirks and callous glares stared back at them.

 _V-villains!_

His friend was muttering strings of curses behind him, browsing through his colorful vocabulary and adding a few new words while he was at it. His hands raised, ready for anything. "Deku," he said, pausing his swearing for a short moment. Izuku didn't look at him when he answered, not daring to take his eyes off of the enemy, radiating animosity, for even a second. He was sure that they would pounce the moment he relaxed his guard.

"Y-yes?!"

"Get ready." The blonde widened his stance while his palms began to heat up; the scorching air only adding fuel for his explosions. "Don't hold back."

Izuku started and his eyes opened wide. "You mean…?" he trailed off, taking a small step back from his advancing opponents. If he turned his head, he would see Kacchan nodding. But even if he couldn't see his friend's confirmatory head shake, he heard his voice loud and clear.

"It's time to get fucking wild."

* * *

 **AN:** **Sorry for the delay. The latest chapter got a lot longer than I planned; the USJ was just going to be one chapter, but uh... I decided to divide it into three chapters instead. So the next chapter should hopefully be out soon? Also, writing the USJ arc is a bitch. Why? I dunno. I guess it's because a lot of this just follows canon without that many differences, and just rewriting what happens in the manga/anime is pretty boring. Like. We all know what happens. But I still gotta write it, or else I'll ruin the pacing. Which is also why I try to rewrite the dialogue, so I don't just straight up copy the manga because, again, we all already knows what happens. We don't need to hear the same shit over and over.**

 **I'm kinda worried that it may seem like Deku and Katsuki thinks about each other too much? But like, it makes sense if they do, since neither party really hung out with anyone else prior to entering U.A., so who else are they supposed to think about? Katsuki was Deku's only friend for the longest time, and Deku was the only one Katsuki really 'acknowledged' since he deemed everyone else's quirks too trashy.**

 **Ah yes, speaking off, that's also why Katsuki doesn't have his mental breakdown after the Battle Trial. I mean, one, he won. And two, he was freaking out because, suddenly, his quirk _wasn't_ the very best there ever was. But you know, in this timeline, he already sorta had that revelation when Deku showed off his quirk.**

 **And I hope you don't mind be sorta skimming over the Battle Trial-but nothing really interesting enough happened for me to spend more time on it.**


	6. Chapter 5: Fight!

**AN: Sorry for the short chapter, but the next one will be longer! I just thought this was a good place to cut it off.**

* * *

"Good work," Tokoyami complimented as Dark Shadow easily took out another small group of criminals. Kouda blushed at the praise and gave the crow boy a silent thumbs up; his quirk wasn't of much use in their current environment, but his unassuming presence was perfect for baiting villains into revealing themselves with their guard down. All Tokoyami had to do was to stay in the shadows and wait for the right moment to strike. Then, he would unleash his quirk and let Dark Shadow take care of the rest.

"There shouldn't be many of them left. I think it's about time we try to regroup with our classmates," he announced, surveying their surroundings with a keen eye. He blinked some rainwater out of his eyes and Kouda nodded quietly in agreement.

"Let's go," he whispered, just barely audible in the heavy rainfall of the Downpour Zone.

* * *

Ojirou would have felt ashamed, using such underhanded tactics as he did to get the drop on the intruders, were he not currently battling tooth and nail just to stay alive.

And, as he would realize as he successfully snuck up on another lone villain's back to subduing him as quickly and quietly as he could, he valued his life more than he did some misplaced sense of honor.

* * *

The villain shivered before him. Later, he would undoubtedly blame it on the ice that encased him like a casket made of deadly cold. But, one needed only to look at his face and see the fear in his eyes to know the truth.

"Now, tell me," Todoroki's voice dripped of frost, just like the power that belonged to him. There was no warmth here. His heterochromatic eyes fixed hard onto trembling pupils, and he spoke. "What do you want with All Might?"

It would not take long before he got his answer.

* * *

"Should I make you a weapon as well?" Yaoyorozu wondered as Jirou grabbed the sword created for her. As expected, Kirishima shook his head in response, declining the offer.

"Nah, I'm good." Then, he grinned, hardening the skin of his hand into sharp stone for emphasis. "My body's already the perfect shield and spear."

* * *

"What are we going to do?!" Mineta bawled, shaking an unblinking Asui's leg with all the force he could muster. His weeping went ignored as the frog girl instead focused on the third member of their group, tilting her head curiously and placing a long finger to her chin.

"Kaminari-chan," she spoke over the high pitched cries of the grape haired boy, round eyes focused instead on the blonde.

"Yeah?" he looked nervous himself, fidgeting in place and eyes dancing across their surroundings without rest, but he kept it together better than the shortest student of the class, at the very least. "Do you have a plan?" He smiled hopefully, lips twitching.

"Well," Asui began, surveying the sea of water encompassing the boat they were currently stationed on. It floated gently on the surface, but the calm rocking of the waves brung little comfort in the face of the multitudes of villains that leered up at them from all sides. "Your quirk is electricity, right?"

The boy nodded once in confirmation, and Asui pressed on. "What do you think would happen if you released it in the water?"

Golden eyes widened as the words left her mouth, before a smirk lit up Kaminari's face. "Maybe we should find out," he suggested. Then, he stalked up to the railing of the ship and took it in a tight grip, before casting a last glance behind him. "Just be ready to fish me up, okay?"

Mineta cries had somewhat died now that he realized they might just survived this after all, but he still kept Asui's leg hostage in his shaking fingers. She nodded, and before his nerves got the better of him, Kaminari launched himself over the side of the boat into the waiting villains below.

When they saw him coming, they began to flash their quirks eagerly, but once they saw the electricity sparking from the boy's pores, they froze as their eyes widened comically with understanding. Adrenaline pumped furiously and a laugh spilled from the teen's lips as he watched the criminals fruitless attempt to scramble away once they realized their mistake. But, by that point, their fates had already been sealed.

* * *

Izuku had never used his quirk to fight multiple targets before; it had always only been him and Kacchan, and the process was a little more complicated than he had hoped. Incapacitating just one villain was easy enough—all he had to do was to 'teleport' behind them and punch their head hard enough that they blacked out (and pray that he did no permanent damage). His weighted gloves came in undoubtedly handy for this task, even if his knuckles did end up smarting a bit. At least the gloves were cushioned on the inside, absorbing most of the impact.

But when moving onto the next villain, he had to be careful. The first person he took out, he accidentally revived when he miscalculated and rewound time too far back. He found that the most effective method to prevent this from happening was to activate his quirk in small bursts and in rapid succession; when switching between targets, he would continuously turn time back for barely half a second and with tiny pauses in between. The resulting effect was similar to that of moving in slow motion. Or, perhaps a more apt description would be like playing a game with a very bad frame rate. It was honestly slightly disorientating to look at, and he could hear a slight thrum in the back of his head at the rapid activation of his quirk. It wasn't enough to cause a headache, but he doubted he could keep it up forever.

His heart beat loudly in his chest. He'd never used his powers to this extent before. It was almost… exciting, in a way. Liberating.

His fist cracked loudly over the back of another villain's head. Her skin was protected by several earthy green plates in various shapes and sizes, likely a mutation or transformative quirk he deduced, so he had to exert more force than usual to make sure she was out cold. He took a moment of reprieve to inspect Kacchan before he surveyed for his next mark, but the snarling teen was doing just fine on his own. _Of course._

He took a moment to watch as the volatile blonde charged at the next enemy in Izuku's self induced slow motion. His explosions, while usually over in quite a literal flash, looked so different from this perspective. The curly haired boy always thought Kacchan's quirk was beautiful, but it was always over so quickly. Now…

He shook his head. Now was not the time to admire his childhood friend's prowess—but maybe he could convince Kacchan to show off his quirk again later? The blonde did enjoy any opportunity in which he got to display his power. Or he might just call Izuku a weirdo. That was also a very possible outcome.

He shifted his attention from the other boy to lock onto his next opponent. They had to finish this quickly so that could get back to their classmates as soon as possible. Izuku knew the value of time, had learned it long ago. Far more things can happen in a single second than most people realize. And, with that in mind, he raced after the next villain his eyes landed on.

* * *

Heavy boots thumped against paved road, a frantic rhythm that spoke of urgency and fear. His own heavy breaths echoed loudly in his skull, too loud, so loud he was sure it would burst from the pressure. But he would not falter, _could not_ falter; he had a mission to fulfill, entrusted upon him by his friends and classmates. He'd be damned if he let them down—not while they were all fighting for their lives as he ran away.

 _No,_ Iida thought. His back may be upon them, but he would not leave them. He would complete his mission, and then he would return. And once he did, it would not be alone. To protect his classmates from any who would do them harm—that was his duty as class president, and he would all to see it fulfilled.

Blonde hair, bright as the sun, flashed in his vision and his step faltered. Tears he had bravely been battling until now sprung into his vision, and blurred the smiling vision of the man before him. He cried out.

"All Might!"

* * *

 **AN: This chapter didn't actually originally exist, but I decided to write it so we know what all the student's are up to. Maybe not the most exciting chapter, but I felt it was necessary. I tried to keep it brief, since most of this just follow canon anyways. Some students changed position, though just a few. I was going to change more, but considering the students position relative to each other before they get warped by Kurogiri, this made sense. Kaminari stands close to Tsuyu and Mineta, and while it would probably make more sense for Kirishima, Bakugou and Deku to end up in a group together compared to putting Kirishima with Jirou and Yaoyorozu, I think we all want to see Deku fully utulize his quirk, and he wouldn't be able to do that with Kirishima there. And, he's not that far from Jirou and Yaoyorozu, so it's not too far fetched.**


	7. Chapter 6: Game Over

**AN: An actual update?!**

* * *

There was almost something terrifying (although Katsuki would deny it vehemently of course) about watching Deku use his quirk; _really_ use it. It was different from their training sessions, and there was something uncanny about watching the green haired boy's form flicker across the battlefield. His movements looked awkward and jerky, and for the briefest of moments he would disappear completely, but Katsuki knew that was not quite true. He wondered how it looked from Deku's end, but he knew his pride would prevent him from asking.

But still—despite the awkwardness, despite how his brain hurt just from looking at it, there was almost something graceful about it too—which really made no sense, now that Katsuki thought about it. But Deku's quirk wasn't like his explosions, loud and abrasive, but quick, and very efficient.

He cursed, detonating another booming explosion right at the enemy who, had Katsuki's reaction been just a little bit slower, would have used one of his needle like fingers to puncture his stomach. _Concentrate._

An image of Deku flashed before him for just a split second, before it was gone. And it was in that split second that he saw it—a grin, an honest to god _grin_ stretched across Deku's face.

 _That asshole's enjoying this,_ Katsuki thought, but couldn't force down his own smile from tearing across his face. Aside from training, this was the first time the nerd had been allowed to unleash the full scope of his quirk; fucker better enjoy this while it lasts.

It was over quickly. Between the explosive teen and Deku's time manipulation, these villains never stood a chance. Yet, Katsuki couldn't help the feeling of unease that made itself known in the form of a pensive scowl on the teen's face. He remembered the gray haired freak with the hands and the purple fog fucker—they sure went on and on about grand plans like killing All Might, and yet, their henchmen were going down like swatting flies. Of course, Katsuki knew he was strong—and Deku was too—but if these pieces of _shits_ could barely put a scratch on them— _how in the ever living fuck did they think they could kill All Might?_

Deku seemed to be of the same mind when he asked, "Are you feeling it too?"

The blonde shifted his gaze from the prone bodies of the criminals they'd just defeated laying on the ground, the occasional groan signifying that they were still alive, to the freckled boy beside him. His emerald eyes were wide open and attentive, and if Katsuki looked close enough, he was sure he could catch a glimpse of the clockwork of cogs working in overdrive behind Deku's pupils as he analysed the situation.

Katsuki nodded. "Small fries like these thinking they could kill All Might…" he kicked the body of a not-quite-unconscious villain attempting to make a silent escape on their elbows, sending them sprawling back onto the floor. "These pieces of shits were just extras. I bet that hand freak, mist asshole, and googly eyes are the real threat."

Deku shook his head up and down, humming in agreement. "We should find the others, especially Aizawa-sensei. No matter how good he might be, taking on that many villains by himself is just…" he shuddered.

But Katsuki just frowned. He stared hard at Deku, and then, "You stay here. I'll go check on the teach."

"W-what?" the boy stuttered, having the gall to look surprised for some fucking reason. Katsuki thought it was obvious, but clearly, Deku is just too fucking thick to get it.

"What do you mean 'what'? Here, the only ones who could see you use your quirk was me and these other fucks. But out there? With our classmates and teachers?" he stepped closer to the other boy, who took a small step back in response. "What the hell do you think is gonna happen?"

Deku was quivering slightly. It was hard not to; Katsuki had perfected the art of intimidation, and there were few who could stand their ground with the full force of it directed at them. And yet, the wide eyed boy swallowed thickly and stood as tall as he could, refusing to give in. "I can't just stay here! If something were to happen, to you or anyone else… I have to be there. I have to see it—I have to know—" here, his eyes turned wistful and he looked at Katsuki meaningly, "—what if someone gets hurt, and I could have helped them?"

"Deku—"

"I know how to fight without my quirk. You know I do! You were the one who taught me!"

Deku took a calming breath after his small outburst, and Katsuki tisked. He knew the nerd was too stubborn to back down, always had been, but that idiot's stupid hero complex was a bigger threat to himself than any villain. Always having to throw himself into stupid, impossible situations if anyone was threatened with so much of a _scratch_. But that is why Katsuki also knew that, no matter what he might tell Deku, the suicidal dumbass would just run off on his own anyways.

"Fucking—fine," he agreed reluctantly, but quickly added, "Just stay behind me. Don't use your quirk unless someone is about to die or some shit—you hear that?"

"Yes!" Deku agreed with a startled yelp, but he was smiling. _Fucker. Always gotta get it your way._

"Then come on," the blonde motioned with his head for the other boy to follow. "Let's show the rest of these fuckers what happens when they mess with us."

* * *

Izuku took in the gruesome scene before him with horror written across his face. He was facing away from them, but Izuku could still see how Aizawa lay on the ground in a pool of his own blood, one of his elbows twisted so horribly you could see the muscle and red slicked bone beneath the torn and sickly pale skin. His other arm was contorted in an unnatural angle from his broken shoulder, all the while a steady flow of crimson liquid seeped into the cracks and crevices of the head sized crater his face rested in. His body was still. Unmoving.

 _I knew it! I should have used my quirk when the villains first appeared!_ He screamed at himself, shaking. From fear, anger, sadness, or the cold rapidly spreading through his body like ice in his veins, he could not tell. He didn't even know if Aizawa was still alive or not, but with so much blood... _If I rewind now, maybe there's still time._

Even Katsuki couldn't stay stoic when faced with the brutal state their teacher was in, and his seemingly permanent scowl had vanished in favor of a disturbed look that marred his sharp features, as foreign as snow in summer.

It wasn't hard to guess who the culprit was, for resting its full weight upon Aizawa's back was a hulking beast of a man—was it even a man? Izuku couldn't be so sure. He didn't know why, or _what,_ but something told him that _no, it couldn't be._ There was just something so utterly… _wrong_ , about it. From its exposed brain and dark cobalt skin, to its jutting eyes that stared at nothing, it screamed _vile_.

The expression on the… _thing's_ face was an odd mix between crazed and vacant, as if barely aware of its own surroundings—or that it had a dying man currently pinned to the ground. One of its giant fists clutched onto the motionless body's long and dark locks so hard it looked as if he might rip it all off, skin and all, with just a flick off its wrist.

Izuku couldn't take any more. He had to do something, at least _try. C_ onsequences be damned—saving a life was more important than his own selfish desires and fear of exposure. Katsuki would understand, and so would his mother, even if she would still undoubtedly cry for him while worrying about what would happen next.

His brain throbbed painfully in his skull as he felt his muscles move on their own volition, repeating familiar patterns in reverse. He always hated this feeling, of the total loss of control of his body, even though he knew he could stop at any second.

When he finally let go, relenting the forceful grip on his body and easing the _thump-thumping_ pressure on his mind, he returned to what must have been right after Kacchan reluctantly agreed that they should both go in search for their classmates. Blood dribbled down his nose, and he saw red eyes widen.

"Dek—" Kacchan attempted, but the name died in his throat when cold fingers wrapped themselves around his wrist and _pulled_ , sending him stumbling into a small, green haired boy. A curse slipped past his lips, but then everything went silent. The only noise that could be heard was their own heavy breaths, and for a moment, all Kacchan could do was to stare at Izuku. Then:

"What the hell happened?" Maroon eyes scanned their surroundings, before locking back onto distressed green. He was angry, Izuku could tell, but the the corners of his frowning mouth twitched ever so slightly in uncertainty.

Izuku shook his dark curls silently, and tugged on the wrist in his hand. "Come," he said. "You know I can't keep this up forever."

They ran, and no further words were exchanged between them. Their legs moved as fast as they could, even as the throbbing of Izuku's brain became more and more unbearable Their steps echoed painfully loud in the unnatural silence, only stopping once they finally reached their destination. They were safely distanced from the dark and unmoving figures waiting some meters ahead of them, and if Izuku took just one more step, he was sure his head would explode. But what they saw forced them both to inhale sharply in alarm.

"What the fuck…" Kacchan growled, but Izuku couldn't even muster as much as a whimper as his mind went blank with terror.

He was already too late. The indigo monster was frozen in motion, with Aizawa's head forced high and ready to be smashed into the hard concrete, as soon as Izuku let it. The horrible scene lay frozen before them, like something out of a horror movie, and Izuku just wished he could just turn off the TV.

"Kacchan…" it took his all to form a cohesive sentence, and his words were little more than a whisper. But over the complete silence of their surroundings, he may as well have been shouting it into a megaphone for all the difference it made. "We have to do something."

The blonde scowled. "Shut the fuck up Deku—you think I can't see that for myself?!"

And yet, none of them moved. It wasn't out of fear, for whilst Izuku was no doubt terrified, he would never forgive himself if that stopped him from saving a life. Neither boy lacked the will, nor the initiative to act, as both overflowed with it every day of their life. It was what fuels their dreams, their _drive_ to become the greatest heroes there ever was.

No, simply put, neither of them knew _what_ they were supposed to do. Time lay still and frozen before them, brimming with opportunity, and yet, their minds came up blank.

"Maybe I can… pull Aizawa-sensei free?" Izuku suggested, and Kacchan smacked him across the forehead.

"You think that blue fuck will let him go? Your dumb ass wouldn't even be able to get close enough before you pass out, and then he'll be fucked anyways."

The small boy chewed on his lips as he realized that Kacchan was right. He couldn't let the explosive teen go by himself either, for as soon as he let go of his friend's arm, he would become suspended in time, just like everything else.

Under his fingers, he could feel the blonde's muscles work as his hands continuously clenched and unclenched themselves. Then, "Stop your quirk."

"What?!" Izuku couldn't believe what he was hearing; did Kacchan just seriously suggest they should just give up and let their teacher die?!

His friends growled as his head whipped around to stare him down. "And what the fuck do you want us to do, huh? Face it: there is shit all your quirk can do right now—one more step and you're going to drop, and then you'll be completely useless."

"But I can't just let him get killed!" he protested. "If I stop my quirk right now—Aizawa-sensei will—"

"It's not as if I fucking like this either!" Kacchan began shaking the arm crushed tightly between Izuku's fingers, jostling the green boy back and forth. "Fucking restart time right now, and I'll run up and blow that fucker to pieces!"

The young, freckle dusted teen felt dizzy with indecision. His head swimmed with so many thoughts and emotions, and he felt as if he might throw up any second. He couldn't—he needed to think—he couldn't be the reason his teacher got hurt— _he couldn't_.

He remembered when he first discovered his ability to pause time. In fact, it was one of the earliest aspects of his quirk he learned of; he remembered the silence, and how everything and all stopped moving around him. At first, he assumed that it was just another part of his quirk. He thought that he could gain complete control over time with just enough training; forward, backward, pause.

But with a few experiments, he realized that he had been wrong. He did not have the ability to pause time, not traditionally, at least. Rather, it was just a side effect of his ability to reverse time. He could reverse time, but never any further than fifteen seconds into the past, no matter how hard he tried. Time would instead freeze, as he continuously attempted to go further and further and _further_ —

And now, that was the only thing stopping this monster from hurting his teacher. And yet—Kacchan wanted him to stop?

 _You can't keep this up forever,_ a voice whispered inside his head. _At some point, you have to stop, whether by choice or force. There's nothing you can do_ — _Kacchan is right. You need to stop._

Was there really no other way? Was there really no—

"Wait," he whispered. Kacchan ceased agitatedly swinging Izuku's body back and forth and narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"Deku, I swear—"

"No, wait!" he shouted. It wasn't a great plan, in fact, it was far from perfect. It wouldn't save their teacher from any further injuries, but it would increase their chances of succeeding in getting him free. At least—that was better than nothing, wasn't it?

Aizawa and _the thing_ was turned away from them. No one else was around to see, except—

He had been so focused on coming up with a plan to save their teacher that he hadn't even noticed the fifth figure among them. He recognized him; it was the man covered in hands, and the first villain to invade the USJ. Their leader, maybe? He was turned toward them, standing a few feet in front of Aizawa and the creature. Izuku didn't know what his quirk was—a nasty one, no doubt—but right now, he couldn't care. They could deal with him later, as soon as their teacher was free.

He took a deep breath. In. Out. In. Out. It's fine, he can do this—they would get their teacher out and to safety. He would be fine, Kacchan would be fine, and Aizawa—Aizawa had to be fine. He just needed to hold out for a while longer.

"Kacchan," he said, grabbing his friends attention as he tried to keep his tone as calm and even as possible. "I'm going to count to three, before I resume time. When I do, I want you to stay with me. Don't move. I will count to thirty in my head, and when I finish, I'm going to use my quirk again. After that, just follow me and do what I say. Please?"

Kacchan was silent. Izuku knew he inherently dislikes following any form of command, but he also knows that, rebellious as he may be, even Kacchan knows that there is a time and place for everything. And when someone's life is on the line, it is a hero's duty to do whatever it takes to save them.

"Fine, whatever, just do your thing already. I'm tired of just standing here like a useless piece of shit."

Even after receiving the 'clear' from Kacchan, Izuku still needed a few silent moments to breathe before he was ready. _Alright,_ he thought, as he exhaled. _I'm ready._

He didn't spend enough time to contemplate whether it was actually true or not, before his mouth was open and he counted aloud. "One," breathe, "Two," breathe, "Three."

All he could do was stare silently as he watched his teacher's head slam into the floor again and again. His body felt cold and numb, and he realized no more air was reaching his lungs, but he didn't care. He could feel Kacchan's body twitching restlessly beside him and the anger radiating off him was so palpable that you could taste it. It was spicy, just like the food he enjoys so much, and it burned on the tongue. It was bitter too, and mixed with what Izuku could only assume was nitroglycerin and smoke.

To his credit, Kacchan didn't move, even though Izuku could tell that he desperately wanted to. He couldn't blame him; standing here was the most agonizing ordeal Izuku had ever had the displeasure of experiencing.

 _Ten, eleven, twelve._ With each second passed, he could feel the dizzying pressure in his head give way. His head felt so much clearer, and his thoughts begun to flow at their normal pace. _Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen…_

It was a wonder that the gray haired man had not taken notice of them yet, but Izuku supposed he was too busy enjoying the show. That thought made his stomach churn, and he continued counting.

 _Twenty six, twenty seven, twenty eight, twenty nine—_

Everything begun to move in reverse, before finally reaching a stop as Izuku exhausted the limit of his quirk. His head felt so much lighter now, and he was fairly positive his nose had stopped bleeding. He breathed a sigh of relief. The hard part was finally over, and it was time to move.

He pulled on Kacchan's arm as they stepped ever closer to the monster and their teacher. The thing was even more intimidating up close, and with each step, Izuku could feel his headache returning. A frozen wave of blood cascaded through the air, but neither student payed it any attention, along with the simmering feelings of guilt and fury threatening to burst their insides open like a balloon with too much air.

"So? What now?" his childhood friend asked—or perhaps demanded is the more appropriate term, judging by his tone—once they were within touching distance of the murky cobalt creature. Izuku pointed toward it, and when he spoke, his voice sounded much calmer than he felt.

"I want you to set off as many explosions aimed at that creature as possible; the force should be enough to knock it off its feet. That's our chance to rescue Aizawa-sensei. As soon as we grab him, I'll use my quirk to get all of us as far away from here as possible."

Even if that meant knocking himself out cold in the process.

Kacchan didn't say anything at first, which was a good sign, because he wouldn't hesitate to start yelling if he thought Izuku's plan was the worst idea he had ever heard. As it were, he nodded, and then, "Alright. And you better plug your ears once these go off, or you'll be bleeding from them as well as your nose."

Izuku gave a confirmatory shake of his head, while Kacchan set their plan in motion. His free arm danced through the air, activating and deactivating his quirk. The back of the dark skinned monster was turned into a minefield, with a wall of explosions ready to be set off at any time. Izuku prayed that the creature's massive girth would be enough to protect their teacher from the blowback.

The undetonated explosives looked quite peculiar, like small floating balls of concentrated light. It was almost funny how innocent they looked like this, but Izuku had no illusions about the devastation they would wreak once unleashed.

"That should do it," Kacchan finished, as he retrieved his hand to admire his handy work. "No fucking way that thing's still standing after this."

"Now we just need to be ready to retrieve Aizawa-sensei," Izuku gulped, eyeing the infant explosives warily. He had no desire to be within their blast range, knowing all too intimately what that white hot searing pain that came with it felt like, and took some tentative steps backwards. "I'll count down to zero, and we'll move as soon as your last explosion finish detonating."

"That ain't gonna work," Kacchan gave him a look. "You do know we're gonna be blown back as well, right?"

"Right…" Izuku sighed. "So, we'll have to grab Aizawa-sensei now. Well, we should be shielded from the blast in that case, though I'm somewhat afraid that this means that the creature will be blown in our direction, in which case… we have to move quickly. I still believe that this is our best option, but maybe—"

"It will work." Kacchan scowled. "It has to. So stop mumbling, shut the hell up, and let's just do this already. Or do you have any other brilliant ideas?" Blonde eyebrows rose questioningly, and then, when no response came, "No. Didn't fucking think so."

The fair headed teen pulled Izuku behind him as he stomped up to Aizawa, and with his free hand, curled his fingers resolutely around one of the pro-hero's pallid wrists. A nod was given in the curly haired boy's direction, and Izuku followed his friend's direction. Now, with an arm in each hand, the heroes in training turned their heads in each other's direction. Green meet red, and they nodded in unison. The villain leader stood frozen behind them, but that was a problem for their future selves, seconds from now. And compared to the navy beast in front of them, he didn't look like much.

"I don't think I'll be able to protect my ears like this…" Izuku said, absentmindedly. Kacchan just grunted. Then, inhaling, the countdown started.

Three.

Two.

One.

…

Too say it was loud would be an understatement. If the force somehow wasn't enough to daze the creature, the noise definitely would. For a moment, Izuku thought that his head must have burst for sure—as if a grenade had been embedded deep into his brain, and someone just pulled the pin. For a moment he forgot what he was doing, and if it weren't for Kacchan, he was sure Aizawa would still be in the clutches of that horrendous beast, as his own fingers went slack with shock.

His eyes squeezed shut tightly, and he whimpered as his back crashed to the floor. Kacchan shouted something at him, but he could barely hear a noise over the high pitched ringing in his ears. The tugging on his shoulder was harder to ignore however, and he quickly scrambled back onto his feet, and it was the stabilizing arm of his friend that kept him from losing his balance a second time in just a matter of seconds.

"Fucking Deku, move already!" He finally made out in all the chaos. Opening his eyes, he was forced to squint as they were invaded by thick smoke. He felt himself tear up, and he could only cough as he attempted to call out Kacchan's name.

"Kacch—" he wheezed, and tried again. "Kacchan! Where…?"

"I've got him!" Kacchan screamed from somewhere beside him. "Just keep fucking moving!"

Izuku nodded, before realizing that there was no way the blonde could even see him. Not with this thick curtain of smoke in the way.

He waved a hand in an attempt to clear it, as he let himself be tugged along by the hand still clamped down on his shoulder. As if on cue, he could suddenly see again, as they burst through the cloud of smoke and stumbled onto the ground in a fit of hacking coughs, limbs weak and heads dizzy.

"Did we… are we…" Izuku gasped, craning his head to look behind him, but his watering eyes made it hard for him to make anything out but blurry shapes and splotches of color.

"Dumbass… we gotta keep… going…" Kacchan ground out, while wrestling to regain control over his trembling muscles. He managed to shuffle a short distance forwards, before he stumbled back down onto the ground. "Fuck…"

Izuku was blinking rapidly to clear his vision. With one arm, he rubbed his eyes weakly, and when he opened them again, they found themselves drawn to the form of a limp and bloody Aizawa on the ground.

"Aizawa-sensei…" he wheezed out, sounding much to frail for his liking. Aizawa gave no indication of hearing him, and even as Izuku crawled forward and shook him as gently as possible, he was unresponsive. The same all consuming worry from before returned, and all he could think was, _please, please be alright…_

"Huuuh…"

Izuku's head snapped up fast enough to make his neck hurt. A chill ran through his body and he shuddered as he felt red eyes upon him, but he knew these ones didn't belong to Kacchan. No matter how cruel the boy could be, the pure _hate_ he felt concentrated in the gaze directed at him was unfathomable, of a magnitude never before experienced.

His eyes bounced in every direction in search of the speaker, finally landing on _him._

 _The man covered in hands. The leader._

His furious eyes bore into him, the rage somehow cold and explosive at the same time. Fingers scratched his neck absentmindedly, even as blood ran red through his fingers, contrasting sharply against his wan skin, before disappearing into his black clothing. He did not look happy.

"Haaah… dammit. Our plans have crumbled," he groaned, itching fingers intensifying and growing violent. "It's game over Kurogiri… game over, for now."

 _...huh? Game over?_

The pale man tilted his head slightly, and the air behind him distorted as a dark mass blossomed forth like a poisonous flower, growing ever bigger, until finally contorting into the shape of a man. It was the warp quirk user, his classic bartender suit making him easily recognizable, not to mention the smokey substance that made up his body.

The leader shifted his gaze from Izuku to the newcomer, and it was like lifting a heavy weight off of his body. "Should we go back?" The gray villain drawled out, seemingly having lost interest in the situation.

Izuku couldn't help but feel a tick of annoyance at the man's casual dismissal. _Go? They're just going to leave—just like that? After all the problems they have caused?_

And then, the intruder was looking at him again. The dreadful feeling in his gut was growing impossibly greater, stronger and stronger as the villain's eyes bore into him. _Something's wrong,_ his mind screamed at him, pleading for him to run. _Something terrible is about to happen._

But he didn't run, because Kacchan was still here, and he couldn't leave without him. He didn't run, because Aizawa was still bleeding out in front of him, and Izuku had no idea if he was even still alive or not. He didn't run, because his classmates were still out there somewhere, and he _knew,_ with certainty, that he had to do _whatever_ it took to _keep this man away from them._

 _It's fine… it's fine… I can do this, I can… Whatever they do, I can undo. So calm. Down._

He blinked. There was a hand in front of his face. Since when…?

Pale, dry and ashen in tone… _They should take better care of their skin,_ Izuku thought. _Haven't they ever heard of moisturizers?_

It was completely ridiculous and irrelevant to the situation, but that was all he could think of as the hand reached out for him, moving as if in slow motion. But he knew that had to be merely an illusion on his part; his quirk still laid untouched by his mind and his brain stood silent, aside from the violent rushing of blood through his veins.

 _I should move,_ his mind belatedly provided, but his body felt numb. It was like all the panic and fear from earlier had been stuffed and locked into a box, only leaving a hollow calm behind.

 _Am I going to die?_

His mind hovered unconsciously over his quirk. Gears began to turn. The fear he put on hold slowly creeping back in full force. He didn't know _what_ he was so scared of exactly, but something told him that _that hand_ was dangerous, and if it touched him, something horrible, and terribly painful, would transpire.

His mind was already prepared. As soon as he gave command, time would start to move in reverse. He had this under control.

 _You can't touch me._

His heart pounded loudly in his ears like a death knell, every other sound muted in favor of the beating muscle working into overdrive.

 _I won't let you._

A wicked smile and scarlet eyes filled with glee stared back at him from so manly long spindly fingers, turning into dark shadows and blurred lines as they closed in on him, like a cage around a frightened chick.

 _Turn_ —

He never got to finish the thought. There was a familiar bright light, and then his ears were ringing again. The villain let out a squawk of surprise, equally startled.

"BACK THE FUCK OFF, HAND FREAK!" A familiar voice screamed, exploding quite literally with anger.

Izuku would have been so relieved, except something wasn't quite right. Except it was too dark. _Except the gray man was still in front of him._

"Noumu," the villain smiled. Izuku dared to glance away for just one second, and his heart stopped. _How_ — _?_

It was the creature from before, looming ominously over Kacchan. And Izuku knew that it was impossible, that there was just no way, but here it was, right in front of his eyes. With dark skin void of any visible injury or wound, aside from old scars that covered it from head to toe. It looked completely unbothered by Kacchan's fiery barrage, still wearing that same vacant expression from before. Izuku wondered if this was how his blonde friend felt when the freckled boy demonstrated his quirk for the first time, all those years ago.

Kacchan stumbled back, looking startled (and Izuku didn't dare say _scared_ ), before he gritted his teeth and began pelting the abomination with blow after forceful blow, punctuating each with a shout of "DIE!" until the air reeked of smoke and sweat.

Izuku could smell the foul stench of burning flesh, but it seemed to matter little to the noumu who just stood there, tanking every explosion like it was little more than a flashy light show. It didn't even _budge._

"Piece of shit fuck—" the volatile teen swore, gloves smoking from the after effects of his quirk barrage. But Kacchan's charge hadn't been completely useless; the silver haired villain had been distracted enough that he didn't notice Izuku lunging at him, until it was already too late.

The young teen worried for his friend, but as threatening as the blue skinned monstrosity was, he knew this villain couldn't be ignored. The sooner he was dealt with, the sooner Izuku could focus on the bigger threat. He wouldn't let this opportunity Kacchan left him slip by.

Of course, he still kept a vigilant eye on the noumu. Between trying to wrestle with the sickly looking villain (who was a lot stronger than he looked) while simultaneously avoiding contact with his hands—Izuku couldn't be sure, but the way the man continuously fought to grab at his face suggested that they played some part in his quirk—his eyes would return sporadically to the creature looming threateningly over Kacchan. His brows were furrowed, looking like he was trying to decide between aiding Izuku or coming up with a plan to deal with the thing before him. From the way his fingers twitched, it looked like he was running out of steam. Kacchan might be amazing, but even his quirk had limits. It wasn't hard to imagine the furious shade of red tinting his palms, hidden beneath thick gloves.

But before he could come to a decision, a voice cried out.

"Noumu!" It was the pale man, and like a switch, the previously inanimate beast suddenly lunged for the blonde in front of it.

"Kacchan!" Izuku responded in kind. But the teen stood his ground, raising both hands into the air, aimed straight at the noumu. And despite his already sore palms, the explosion he unleashed was big enough to obscure both himself and the creature in a thick cloud of black smoke.

As Izuku lost focus on his own battle, the villain saw his chance. The boy was tackled to the ground, letting out a sharp hiss while his eyes screwed shut in pain as his head _thumped_ against the hard floor.

Something cold covered his face. Opening his eyes, it was to the sight of the man covered in hands effectively pinning him down by placing himself on top of Izuku's torso. A hand that was still attached to his arm, and not used as some sort of morbid accessory, was wrapped around his face, while another dug painfully onto his shoulder.

A beat. Izuku waited for the man's quirk to activate, not really sure what to expect aside from pain, but there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. At least not as far as he could tell, and that just made him even more worried.

The man on top of him tisked. "You really are cool, Eraserhead." He angled his head to look over his shoulder, and following his gaze, Izuku let out a sob of relief.

 _Aizawa-sensei!_ He cried, never before so happy to see the man. The aura the hero carried around him was always so intimidating, but compared to actual villains, he almost seemed soft and cuddly. Izuku had somehow forgotten that he was even here, too busy fighting off murderous villains as he was, despite the fact that the attempt to rescue Aizawa is what got Izuku into this mess to begin with. He couldn't begin to express how relieving it was (on so many levels) to see that the man was not only conscious, but also had enough energy to move. The glowing red of his irises indicated that his quirk had been activated, as opposed to their normal shade of steely silver.

 _Erasure, a quirk to erase other quirks. Only works on emitter and transformation types, but is deactivated as soon as he shuts his eyes._ The information flowed naturally into his head. Even for such a low profile hero as Aizawa, Izuku was well informed on his quirk and abilities.

Which told Izuku one thing. Whatever the ashen haired villain's quirk was, it was only Aizawa's timely intervention that prevented it from activating. But he could only use his quirk for so long, meaning _Izuku had to get out of here now._

With all the force he could muster, Izuku pushed the man off of him. He fell onto his back with an "oof" while Izuku scrambled to regain his footing. He spun on his heel, dashing off in Kacchan's direction with such speed, it was a wonder he didn't pull a muscle.

The smoke had cleared, and what it revealed caused him to choke on his spit and he almost tripped over himself. Something warm spilled over his freckled cheeks and he realized he was crying.

"All Might…" he sobbed. He felt dizzy, with too weak knees as he cried openly and without shame.

"It's fine now," the man, _the hero,_ All Might boomed. For once, his face was wiped clean of that eternal smile of his, and Izuku had never realized how terrifying the hero could look. But his grimace softened once his intense blue orbs meet Izuku's green ones, glistening and overflowing with hot, salty tears. And then, he asked. "Why?"

"Because you're here," Izuku breathed. Kacchan was stationed safely behind the muscular hero, eyes wide open in bewilderment. His gloves had been burned through, and Izuku could see the blistered and bleeding skin beneath the singed and ruined fabric. It looked incredibly painful, but Kacchan barely seemed to notice.

One of All Might's arms was raised protectively, blocking the noumu—the _thing_ —from executing a brutal blow no doubt meant for the teen. His limb shook from the force the creature exerted; no doubt this thing must be incredibly powerful, as demonstrated earlier by the effect, or lack thereof, that Kacchan's explosions have had on it. But now that All Might was here, _the Number One Hero, the Symbol of Peace,_ everything would be alright.

They were saved.

* * *

 **AN: I feel like this chapter might be a mess. I don't actually know. The USJ arc have just been a bitch to write, and the whole "Aizawa sequence" didn't actually exist originally, but then I realized that Deku totally would have rewound time as soon as he saw him and attempt to save him, so I had to write it. I just kind of want to post this chapter already, but I hope it's not shit or anything.**


	8. Chapter 7: Past, Change and Future

**AN: Finally got off my lazy ass and finished this chapter.**

* * *

Izuku kept glancing behind him, where All Might and the noumu was currently locked in a furious battle. Punches were exchanged faster than the eye could see, and if the situation wasn't so dire, Izuku would have liked to take this time to fanboy about how amazing All Might is. Instead, he chewed on his lip nervously, until the taste of iron in his mouth forced him to stop.

The hero had left him and Kacchan in charge of Aizawa's unconscious body. They were carrying him towards the exit, Izuku careful not to jostle the wounded man more than necessary.

When All Might first arrived, he wasted no time. In one fell swoop, he had scooped up Izuku and Kacchan in one arm, and Aizawa in the other. He dropped them off at a safe distance, being extra careful with his co-worker as to not injure him any further.

"Take care of Aizawa, will you? Bring him back to the entrance, and stay safe!" was the only warning they received before All Might flashed them with a thumbs up and dashed away, charging head first toward the villains.

"CAROLINA—" he began, bringing his arms up in a cross formation. He aimed for the gray haired villain, moving toward him at an impossible speed. "—SMASH!"

But rather than the thin, lanky body All Might was going for, his arms collided with a much larger form that stopped him in his track. By all rights, the noumu should have been swept of its feet and sent flying through the air and smacked into the nearest wall. Instead, it just stood there, looking just barely aware of its surroundings.

All Might, undeterred, dodged a swipe sent his way, before unleashing another punch straight into the creature's gut. But no matter how many blows was delivered, the thing refused to budge, leaving All Might panting in exhaustion.

Shigaraki said something, but the only words Izuku could make out from this distance was "shock absorption". _Must be it's quirk,_ he thought. It would explain why even the Number One Hero's punches seemed ineffective against it. Still, it didn't explain why Kacchan's explosions couldn't put a dent on it. _There must be something more to it… if I can just figure out what_ —

"Put your back into it Deku, I'm doing all the work here."

Izuku's attention snapped back to Kacchan and the task at hand. He steadied his grip on Aizawa and pulled an arm tighter around his shoulder, stabilizing the teacher's drooping form. The other arm lay limply across his friend's neck as Kacchan attempted to not jostle the injured limb and upset the broken bone further.

"S-sorry, Kacchan. I got distracted by All Might's fight," he apologized. "That thing… it's like All Might's punches doesn't even affect it. I'm worried."

Kacchan scoffed. "All Might is the Number One Hero. He won't be beaten by pathetic, wanna-be super villains like these."

There was a loud _bang_ as what sounded like an explosion erupted behind them, and they had to catch themselves when the wind pressure threatened to topple them over. Izuku whipped his head around, unsure of just what the hell happened. Blinking green curls out of his eyes, he was met with the sight of a large cloud of dust. All Might and the noumu must be hidden within, and the freckled boy froze mid-step, temporarily forgetting the additional weight on his shoulders.

 _Is this it?_ he wondered, eyes glued to where All Might was battling one of his most troubling foes as of yet. _Did he win?_

Slowly, the dust cleared, unveiling what was hidden within. Izuku almost dropped Aizawa in shock and couldn't stop the gasp that escaped him.

All Might's arms were locked firmly around the blue monstrosity's waist, having just executed a german suplex, and still holding on tight to pin his opponent down. It would have probably been effective too, if this had been a fair, one on one battle.

But villains don't play fair. The black misted villain had opened two warp gates, positioned beneath the fighters. The first one was placed right were the noumu would have made contact with the hard floor, while the second one opened just under the Symbol of Peace's back.

Emerging like from dark water were two muscular and heavily scarred arms, along with the googly eyed and grinning visage of the noumu's head. Its thick fingers dug into All Might's side, and even from this distance, there was no mistaking the blood blossoming across the hero's white dress shirt like crimson flowers.

"Shit," Kacchan swore beside him. " _Shit,_ " he repeated, for emphasis.

Midoriya Izuku's instincts told him to _run, help him!_ but his brain told him _what are you so worried about? This is All Might! He can handle this! You'll just get in his way!_

He glanced over to Kacchan, eyes pleading for guidance. He could use his quirk now, and risk both his secret and safety. Or, he could wait, and trust in All Might's power.

" _Don't use your quirk unless someone is about to die or some shit—you hear that?_ " Kacchan's words from before echoed in his head.

"Kacchan…" he begged, but received no answer. He could see that the blonde himself was torn between watching and interfering. He finally seemed to reach a conclusion, when he let Aizawa's slack arm drop loosely, leaving Izuku to carry the teacher alone.

"Stay here," he commanded. "I'm gonna blow that misty fucker to pieces."

"Wait!" Izuku called out, grabbing a hold of the hem of Kacchan's black tank top. "It's dangerous!"

The other boy glanced back lazily, raising a pale eyebrow in response. Crimson eyes stared into Izuku's, as Kacchan replied. "That's why I got you, right?"

He shrugged out of Izuku's grip and threw his arms out at his sides. His blistered palms begun heating up, and small wisps of smoke wandered through the air, bringing with it the scent of blood.

A step, then two, which quickly turned into three, and Kacchan was sprinting toward the heart of the battle. Izuku watched in silence, worrying his already swollen lips while he changed Aizawa to a more comfortable position on his back.

All Might struggled in the grip of the noumu who was pulling him deeper and deeper into the dark void from which it emerged. But Kacchan was almost there—Izuku couldn't see the feral grin on his face, but he could imagine it. Just a few more steps…

Kacchan took a leaping jump. He raised his hands, quirk ready. He was close—just one more second until he would touch the misty villain and unleash his barrage. Just one more second and All Might would be—

 _Splash._

A wet sound that sent Izuku's stomach roiling. A wet sound that sprayed warm, bright liquid over Kacchan's face, bleeding into his own crimson irises that shrunk with shock and disbelief. A wet sound, followed by a _crunch_ of snapping bones and imprinting a vision that Izuku could never unsee.

He didn't think. He didn't wait. He didn't feel.

He _acted._

* * *

"...but it's a relief that everything ended well! Well, not well _well,_ but you know, still pretty good. That Shigaraki and Kurogiri got away, but the police arrested everyone else. Besides, no one died, which is _very_ good, and even those who were seriously injured are in stable condition now and being treated by Recovery Girl as we speak, so all in all—"

"Deku."

The boy clamped his mouth shut at the call of his nickname. The police had finally finished asking their questions, and the students could return home to inform their parents of what had happened—once Recovery Girl looked them over and gave her permission, of course.

"Y-yes, Kacchan?"

Red eyes bore into the side of fluffy green curls, belonging to the boy currently seated in a hospital bed, while he waited for the school nurse to discharge him. Kacchan flexed his hands experimentally, now devoid of burns and blisters, but still slightly red. Even though Izuku had acknowledged the blonde, he refused to turn his head to face him. Instead, he opted for staring intently at his fingers, twisting themselves into a nervous mess in his lap.

"..." He could feel Kacchan's eyes burning holes into him, and suppressed the gulp that threatened to spill out, but failed to relax his tensing muscles. He scratched his nose stiffly as the silence continued to drag on. It had stopped bleeding a long time ago.

Once Kacchan decided that the quiet moment had grown awkward enough, he spoke. "...what the hell happened? What the hell was that?"

Izuku's hand fell to the white sheet of the hospital bed and grabbed it tightly. He sighed, as he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Well. There was no way out of this one, was there?

Not that he was planning on keeping it a secret from Kacchan in the first place. It was just… hard to explain. Well, not exactly. The whole _explanation_ part was easy enough, but finding the right words… going back to that moment and reliving it. Accepting that it _actually happened._

Realizing what it meant, when Izuku used his quirk to change it.

It's not like Izuku hasn't changed the future before. With every use of his quirk, the future is somewhat altered, even if it is just the tiniest of changes. But he's never _thought_ about it before. _Really_ thought about it. He's never actually sat back and thought about what the present would look like right now if he didn't have his quirk—what would have happened if he never used it.

Back at the entrance exam. He could have left Uraraka alone. He could have ignored her. Where would he be now? Probably not at U.A.. Kacchan would be angry with him. And Uraraka… well, who knows what would have happened with her?

And now this…

* * *

Kacchan noticed his newly bloodied nose right away, before Izuku had time to cover it with a cupped hand. He had hoped the freshly spilt blood would camouflage itself with the dried one already crusting his upper lip, but no such luck. The blonde opened his mouth to speak, but Izuku didn't have any time to spare for his questions. Right now, he had to _act._

He loosened his grip on Aizawa, pushing the weight onto Kacchan. The blonde spluttered in confusion, maybe concern, but Izuku didn't waste time for explanations. He just hoped Kacchan would get the message.

Spinning on his heel, he set off in a mad dash to reach All Might. _Hurry, hurry, hurry!_

"Deku, you fuck!" Kacchan shouted after him. The familiar noise of small explosions invaded his ears, the other teen trying to catch up to him. _Good._

Izuku didn't have much of a plan. There wasn't enough time to think of one. But he believed in Kacchan.

"Blow that misty fucker to pieces!" he shouted, repeating after his friend almost word for word, hoping to get the urgency of his message across. He could taste metal on his tongue from the thin streams of blood trickling from his nose and into his mouth, and spat it out on the ground. Determined eyes locked onto All Might, who opened his mouth to shout something. Probably for them to " _Run, don't get involved!_ " but all that came out was a wet cough, and a cloud of red.

"Gladly!" Kacchan's voice sounded behind him. His form zoomed past him in a black blur, his explosions fueling his speed like rockets, and Izuku had to dodge out of the way to avoid his hair getting singed.

Kacchan reached the fog villain much faster than he could. With one hand, the snarling teen kept boosting his speed as his legs fought to not trip over themselves, while the other moved in front of him, directed at the dark, cloudy form of the warp user. Specifically, for a suspiciously solid metal collar that something (supposedly) intangible should not be able to wear. "DIE!"

The villain lurched back in surprise, but managed to summon a gate just in time to redirect Kacchan's explosion. But the snarling teen wasn't deterred; his other hand flew up to detonate another fiery blast, which sent both him and his opponent reeling back.

Kacchan landed with a grunt beside Izuku, while the dazed criminal attempted to regain his bearings. The blonde didn't waste any time however, launching back into action as soon as his feet touched the ground. A hand slapped onto the metal collar adorning the villain's neck, and used the momentum to slam the miscreant into the ground.

"Don't you dare fucking move, or I'll turn your misty ass into dust!" Kacchan threatened with a shout, his blistered hand sending a small trail of blood running down the cool metal. Normally, Izuku may have reprimanded the boy for his unhero like behavior, but after—

He shuddered.

When he felt a familiar, sharp gaze tearing into his back, he whipped around, nearly stumbling to the ground in the process. There stood Shigaraki, and Izuku placed himself protectively between the villainous leader and his friend. All Might was still held down by the noumu, but Izuku knew realistically that there was nothing he could do to that thing. At least this would buy them some time. They had the intruder's exit point hostage. The only thing they could do now was… hope.

 _Please, let someone come,_ he prayed. Or, better yet, _please, let All Might pull through._

He shivered, but this time, it wasn't due to crimson eyes boring holes into him with a deadly glare. _Cold._

Wisps of frozen air wafter over his back. Hope surged in his heart as fear threatened to consume him whole at the same time.

 _Please don't be a villain, please don't be a villain, please be_ —

"I finally got you bastards. Your plan to kill All Might; I won't let you succeed."

Izuku couldn't stop the relieved tears that erupted like a waterfall down his face at the sound of a familiar voice. The relief was so palpable, his insides felt like they were floating in air; so light he was almost worried his feet would leave the ground and take him with them.

He dared a quick glance back. With lightning speed, he took in the half frozen noumu, and a boy sporting a distinct set of red and white strands split evenly down the middle, standing just a few steps away. He exhaled white puffs of cold air, whilst his heterochromatic eyes analyzed the situation coolly.

"Todoroki-kun!" Izuku gasped, but wasn't brave enough to let his gaze linger. His head was swimming with emotions, but all he could do was to keep his eyes concentrated on the villain before him. He'd already done what he could for All Might; now, it was up to Todoroki and Kacchan.

He blinked, once, twice. His eyelids felt heavy in his forehead, and his nose itched with drying blood. He blinked again. Did Shigaraki always look so blurry? He narrowed his eyes, and when he took a careful step forward, he almost fell over. His legs felt as if they had been temporarily turned to jello, and only one word came to mind:

 _Shit,_ he thought, uncharacteristically. He knew what this meant. But, maybe if he pretended he didn't, the problem would go away. _As if that has ever helped._

He just needed a little more time. The pros will arrive any second now, so if he could just hold on a little longer—

He took another step, and a spike of dizziness shot up through his spine and into his brain. He heard a muffled voice call what sounded like his name—or was something else? Shigaraki was right there, but his eyes felt so tired. _Just a second._ He would close his eyes for just one second, and then he'd open them again. He could do it. He could. He _could._

His eyelids fell like a guillotine. When he opened them next, it was in a hospital bed, with Kacchan staring right at him.

* * *

Kacchan explained what had happened after he passed about. Apparently, after Todoroki had frozen the noumu, it allowed All Might to break free. And, just because he is that cool, the first thing he did was to dash off and catch Izuku right before the boy could hit the ground, and bringing him back to Kacchan to look over.

"Don't know why _I_ had to watch over your useless ass," the blonde grumbled. Izuku smiled.

"Thanks for looking out for me, Kacchan!"

"Shut up."

The easily annoyed teen sighed, before continuing. Izuku was shocked to hear that apparently, shock absorption wasn't the creatures only quirk, as it demonstrated when it broke off its own frozen limbs, only to regenerate them moments later. But it helped little when All Might punched the thing right through the ceiling, which Izuku was more than a little disappointed that he missed. It must have looked amazing! But he's glad he didn't get to see how close the villains go to finishing his idol off, before the other teachers arrived at just the right moment to chase them away.

 _Once was enough._

And that leaves them with this.

"So?" Kacchan questioned, once more. "What the hell happened back there? And don't try to play dumb—you know exactly what I'm referring to." His quirked eyebrow was beginning to twitch in irritation, and Izuku didn't dare drag this out much longer. He just… needed to get it out.

"All Might, he—" he sucked in a breath and clamped his mouth shut as he almost shouted out the answer. Both All Might and Aizawa occupied their own beds not far away, and he could not risk them overhearing this conversation. Even if both of them were currently deep asleep, it would be a wise decision to keep his voice low. He bit down on his already abused lips nervously, and Kacchan swatted him in the face.

"Stop that. I told you, it's a bad habit."

"Sorry." He forced himself to let his lips go, and settled for scratching the back of his neck instead. Much quieter this time, he spoke. "Um, well, like I was saying... All Might, he—he—"

"Just spit it out."

Izuku flinched, as he accidentally drove his nails too deep into his skin. He retrieved his hand and placed it in his lap, before Kacchan could start scolding him about that too. Then, before he gave himself too much time to think, his lips began moving and words started pouring free.

"I rewound time because the noumu tore All Might's stomach open right before you could save him, and it looked really, _really_ bad—I doubt even Recovery Girl could have saved him—and now that I finally have some time to think, I'm kind of freaking out? Not because All Might died—I mean, well, yes, that too, _of course,_ how could I not? All Might died! And that's—he's supposed the be the Number One Hero, the _strongest_ hero, the Symbol of Peace, and he just—he just—"

Izuku sucked in another breath.

"—and now I can't stop thinking about what would have happened if I wasn't there—or if I didn't have my quirk."

By the time he had finished, he was shaking. It took everything last bit of his willpower to not go back to biting his lips. Instead, he bit the insides of his cheek. Hopefully, Kacchan wouldn't notice. Speaking of which—his friend was being awfully quiet.

Izuku chanced a glance in his direction, but Kacchan wasn't looking at him. Just staring at the wall behind Izuku's head, with an unusually thoughtful expression on his face. Izuku decided that he liked this look much better than the usual scowls—although right now, he'd rather Kacchan would just say something.

"Kacchan…?"

Suddenly, red eyes snapped to his, and Izuku jumped back in surprise.

"Deku."

"Y-yes!" Izuku squeaked out, curious about whatever conclusion the blonde had come to.

Kacchan narrowed his eyes, lips falling down into a frown, to Izuku's somewhat disappointment. The blonde scooted closer on his chair to Izuku's bedside, before leaning forward, until it his whole face covered Izuku's vision.

"Do you have any idea what this fucking means?"

"U-um… no? Maybe?"

Kacchan scowled. "You just changed the fucking future, dumbass!"

Izuku blinked. "Uh—yes, I know _that._ I mean—technically, I do it every time I rewind time, so I'm not sure what you…"

"No, I—" the teen sighed and pulled back. "I know, alright? I just mean—think about it. This isn't just you getting us away from some slime villain or saving round face from a big ass robot. This is—it's fucking _big,_ alright? If your quirk didn't exist, that means All Might would have died today. If something like fate or whatever the fuck exists, you just screwed with its plans big time." He leaned in close again and spoke in a low voice. "Just imagine what the world would fucking look like right now if you hadn't rewound time back then."

Izuku tried. A world without All Might? It would be absolute chaos. The fame of the villains who killed him would skyrocket. The world would enter a new area; new villains would emerge from the woodwork like ants, and the need for heroes would be greater than ever. No one would be ready to step in to replace the old Symbol of Peace. Humanity would be…

"Doomed."

"Christ Deku, the world isn't going to fall apart without All Might. But yeah, it'd be pretty fucking bad."

Kacchan crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back, sighing. "Jesus, I can't believe _you_ of all people is the reason All Might is even alive right now. You must be feeling pretty fucking proud of yourself right now, huh?"

"Actually, I'm more scared than anything," Izuku admitted, staring down into his lap. "What if this is like one of those movies? What if All Might was really meant to die today, and now because I changed fate, something much worse will befall us? Or maybe fate will just keep trying to kill All Might in increasingly terrible ways until it finally succeeds."

"This isn't a movie, this is real life," Kacchan scoffed. "Besides, it's a little too late for you if you're afraid of fucking with fate. Just chill for once and be happy that All Might is still breathing, thanks to you. Even if he doesn't know it."

Despite the pit of worry in his stomach, Izuku cracked a smile at that. "Is this your way of telling me I did a good job, Kacchan?"

Kacchan met him with a glare. "If you weren't in a hospital bed right now, I would punch you in the face for that."

"That's not a no!" Izuku's laugh turned into a yelp as he just about dodged the fist Kacchan swung his way. "Kacchan, you can't punch me! I'm still recovering!"

"Recovering my ass—get your smug little face back here, you shit!"

Izuku had jumped out of the bed and was currently running for the door to freedom. His friend stalked after him, but the chase was short lived when Recovery Girl was standing right outside. One hard glare from her was enough to stop them in their tracks, and for Izuku to hang his head shamefully.

"I'm glad to see that you are both recovering nicely, but please show respect to the other patients."

"Sorry," Izuku apologized, sincerely. Kacchan just huffed dismissively, in true Kacchan fashion. Recovery Girl shook her head and sighed.

"Now, let's go inside so I can give you a quick look over and see if you're well enough to leave. I'm sure you have parents at home waiting for you." Her eyes landed on Kacchan. "Bakugou, you've already been dismissed. Just remember to use that ointment I gave you earlier, alright? The instructions are on the back."

"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up and look at Deku so we can go home already."

Kacchan waited outside the nurse's office until they were done—he was waiting inside first, but was kicked out when he wouldn't stop complaining that Recovery Girl was taking too long. He grumbled and stomped outside, and when Izuku was finally given the okay, he stepped outside to join him.

"Finally," Kacchan muttered as they started walking. "Let's go to your mom's and eat something."

"What about your mom?" Izuku questioned, turning his head to peer at the other teen.

"That old hag can wait; I don't want to deal with her right now. Besides, I've already texted her. She's been blowing up my phone with calls since."

"Maybe you should answer?"

Kacchan sneered. "Yeah, if I want to get yelled at. Come on, your mom is a better cook anyways. I'd rather not eat something that tastes like burnt coal today."

* * *

 **AN: There are some parts of this chapter I feel could have been better, but I just want to get it out. I enjoyed writing the last part the most. Probably cuz it gave me the most creative freedom. Once (if) I get past the sports festival arc, this story will hopefully start flowing much faster, since by that point there's going to be some major canon divergences. I'm looking forward to writing it. :)**


	9. Chapter 8: An Eye For It

**AN: I would like to apologize in advance for the shittily formatted text conversation. Sadly, this website doesn't let you align text to the right, which would have made this look 10X better. For now, I just have to settle with centering it.**

* * *

When Izuku awoke, it was in a cold sweat in the early hours of the morning. He gasped for air, like a drowning man emerging from the watery dark depths of the sea. Frantically, he scrambled for his phone to check the time.

 _03:26_ it read, and Izuku groaned. He threw his head back on the pillow in frustration and squeezed his eyes shut, in a vain attempt to fall back asleep. Thoughts raced through his head, and he twisted and turned in his sheets in a losing fight to find a comfortable position, all while he tried to erase the horrid images that enveloped his brain.

But no matter how hard he tried to forget, his mind refused to listen as it kept returning to the dream he just left. Most of it was little more than a fading memory by this point, just small images and fleeting emotions passing through his brain to remind him, all but that one scene. So much clearer than the rest of them, it refused to leave him alone. He'd tried to ignore it, but it would always return to haunt him.

Sometimes, it was nothing more than a still image or a simple noise.

 _Splash._

Sometimes, it would play out like a film reel, projected under his eyelids.

 _Crack._

A constant reminder of—what? Izuku's mistake? His accomplishment?

All Might's face was welded to his eyeballs. His mouth, straight white teeth grinding against each other, smile forcefully taken. The corners of his mouth pulling back and down, _down down down_. Jawn unclenching in a gasp. His widened eyes unveiling the hidden blue glow of his iris, fading. Pupils shrinking, eyes dull, face pale, sweating, tearing, breaking—

The acrid taste of copper.

And then, all he could see was a fountain of red. Red, red, red, _red, red, red._

Izuku's body had broken out in wracking tremors, and his cheeks were wet from the stinging saline tears that escaped his eye ducts. He unlocked his phone, and through blurry eyes, tapped across the screen until the name 'Kacchan' was displayed in big, blocky letters.

For several minutes he just stared, wiping the wetness from his eyes. Kacchan was probably still asleep, and he'd hate to bother him at this hour. But after another minute of hesitation, Izuku finally pressed a thumb against the screen and typed.

 **Are you awake?  
** Sent 03:48

He closed his eyes, letting the hand clinging onto his phone to drop limply on his chest. Time ticked by, and Izuku was about ready to assume his text went unread, when his phone dinged. His eyelids shot into the back of his skull, and the device was brought up to his face while he squinted at the bright light that invaded his pupils.

 **I am now, shithead.  
** Sent 03:50

Izuku frowned, tapping out his reply.

 **Sorry.  
** Sent 03:50

 **I'll let you get back to sleep.  
** Sent 03:50

He locked the screen of his phone, about to put it back on his nightstand, when a new message arrived.

 **Why are you even** **awake at this hour?  
** Sent 03:51

 **Is this about the USJ?  
** Sent 03:51

Izuku hesitated a second, before answering.

 **Yes.  
** Sent 03:53

The reply was almost instant.

 **I told you to stop thinking** **about  
** **that** **shit. All Might's fine.  
** Sent 03:53

 **I know, I just…  
** Sent 03:53

 **I can't get it out of my head.  
** Sent 03:54

 **There's no point lingering on that** **bullshit.  
** **All Might doesn't even** **remember** **what  
** **happened,** **and** **he's the one who died.  
** Sent 03:55

 **Now go the fuck back to sleep.  
** Sent 03:56

Izuku took in the words while staring at the screen listlessly, letting out a sigh as the screen turned black.

"Kacchan's right," he mumbled, slumping into the mattress. "There's no use thinking about something that technically never happened."

He jumped slightly when his phone suddenly lit up, notifying him of an incoming message. Apparently, Kacchan wasn't done yet, and Izuku unlocked the screen to their conversation tree.

 **Seriously. I know you're still thinking  
** **about it, even though I tell you not to.  
** Sent 03:59

 **Go talk to All Might when we get to school** **or  
** **something. See that he's still there for yourself.  
** Sent 04:01

 **Now don't wake me again.  
** Sent 04:01

Izuku let out a soft giggle as Kacchan sent him a rather inappropriate emoji of a hand flipping him off. Blackening out the screen, he placed his phone back on the small table beside his bed and fell back against his pillow. The image of All Might was still present in his mind, but it wasn't as burningly clear now as it was before he shared his woes with his explosive friend.

He closed his eyes. There, in the darkness, he was met by a bleeding wall of red. The cold chill of fear creeped up his spine, but then, a light shined to his left. He dared a glance in its direction, and there he stood, just as fierce as ever. Kacchan let a few explosions off in his palms and bared his teeth, snarling.

"Come at me, you fuckers!"

Izuku smiled.

* * *

The day after the USJ incident, U.A. was closed for 'security reasons', but reopened the very next day. Izuku was currently chatting enthusiastically with Uraraka and Iida about a newly debuting hero, when the door to the classroom slammed open, startling several off them and making every head turn in its direction automatically.

The boy gaped when he saw who walked through the door, the man looking just as casual as he always did. Izuku never expected Aizawa to recover so quickly—well, 'recover' was a strong word, he was still wrapped in bandages from head to toe—but he supposed that what it means to be a pro.

"Alright," the underground hero's voice rang clear through the classroom, silencing any lingering conversations. There was a dramatic pause while he walked behind his desk, before turning toward his wide eyed students. Then, "It's about time for U.A.'s Sports Festival."

Silence. Not even so much as a whisper of a breath could be heard as everyone's brains worked to process the words just uttered. Then, all as one, the room broke out in a violent cacophony of bewilderment and excitement.

"That's so normal!"

"Oh, I almost forgot this was an actual school for a second."

"You know, after almost getting killed, being broadcasted on national TV doesn't seem so bad."

"What the hell are you laughing for?"

Oh—that last voice was talking to him. Izuku looked at Kacchan, brows furrowing lightly in confusion. "Are you talking to me?" he asked, subtly leaning backwards in his seat when he saw a blonde eyebrow twitch in response to the inquiry.

" _No, I just decided to stare at your face for fun,_ " was the biting reply, as Kacchan looked at him like he'd just grown a tail. Or maybe like he'd just told him he had a time traveling quirk. "Seriously, you sound like a creep."

And oh— _had_ he been laughing? He hadn't even realized, but if Kacchan said so, then it must be true.

"Sorry," Izuku gave his friend an apologetic smile. "It's just—well, they're right. Just a few days ago we almost died to villains, and now we're doing something so normal? It's such a whiplash, it's kinda funny."

Kacchan snorted at his explanation, before returning his gaze to the blackboard. "Weirdo."

* * *

After the whole ordeal with Aizawa announcing the upcoming Sports Festival was over, it was time for the moment Izuku had both been dreading and looking forward to since yesterday. He quickly excused himself from his friends, before setting off into the corridor with one goal in mind: finding All Might.

The hero found him first.

"Young Midoriya!"

The boy stopped in his track when the familiar timbre of a voice that could only belong to his idol reached his ears, and found All Might leaning out from around a corner, staring at him.

"Are you looking for someone?" he asked, curiously. Izuku stared back.

"Ah—" he gaped, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the hero. _Speak of the devil..._ "I thought you'd still be with Recovery Girl."

All Might waved a dismissive arm his way as he emerged from his hiding spot. "Nonsense! If Eraserhead can make it out of his bed to teach, then so can I!"

 _Hm, I suppose the Symbol of Peace can't let himself be outperformed by a lower ranking hero,_ Izuku mumbled, sending the man in question into a violent coughing fit. He wondered if maybe he should be worried, but All Might was quick to recover.

"Well, not quite, but—" the teacher cut himself off with a shake of the head. "Nevermind that. You look like you have something on your mind. Maybe I could help?"

Izuku smiled. "Actually, I was just looking for you." One of the teacher's eyebrows quirked upwards as if to say "oh", and he looked at him quizzically. They shared an awkward silence as the teen's smile brooke slowly, because he suddenly realized he didn't actually know _what_ he wanted to tell his hero.

 _I just decided to follow Kacchan's advice, but I have no idea what to do next! Should I just ask him if he's okay?!_

"Are you okay?" came the intelligent, and well thought out response to All Might query. Izuku wanted to slap himself. He'd been agonizing over this encounter ever since the text conversation with Kacchan, and this was all he could think to say?!

All Might looked at him oddly. Then, a big hand shoved Izuku forward as he slapped him across the back.

"Of course!" he shouted, laughing jovially. "That villain sure gave me a hard time, but not to be worried! I've faced worse!"

 _Worse than that thing?_ Izuku thought, biting into his lip before he could stop himself. _That only makes me worry even more! But, if he's survived worse before, then_ —

Izuku stopped himself, because the realization suddenly hit him with enough force to give him a concussion. _If it wasn't for me, All Might would be dead right now. So how can he have survived worse? Unless_ —

He ceased his musings before he could get any further. No, he was just getting ahead of himself. There are many explanations for how All Might could have faced a stronger enemy and still survived. For example, he could have had help from other heroes. Yes—that's it! It's a perfectly logical explanation.

Just because All Might have survived stronger villains than that monster without Izuku's help, doesn't mean the hero has gotten weaker.

A relieved smile graced his face. "Ah, I'm glad. I guess there was no reason for me to worry, huh?"

All Might grinned right back at him, like he always does. But, and maybe Izuku was just projecting here, something about it seemed… _off._ Something that he couldn't quite place his finger on. He thought the expression might be a bit less bright than usual, or was that just him imagining things?

"Nope," All Might said, popping the 'p'. "No reason at all."

And for their own unique reasons neither in the other party could know about, they told each other the lies that tore them up inside.

* * *

After school, Izuku and Kacchan gathered at that burger joint they enjoyed so much. Yeah, they might be heroes in training and a healthy diet was important if they wanted to stay in top shape, but they're still teenagers. Besides, some fast food now and then wasn't going to kill them, especially since they would just run off the calories afterwards. And right now, they needed some good thinking food, according to Kacchan.

"Alright," he had announced, after a long sip of his drink. "Time to come up with a plan."

Izuku's eyes flickered over in his direction. "For the festival?"

"Duh," Kacchan clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I'm obviously gonna win, but this is your chance to prove yourself to those extras."

Izuku sighed. "I told you, it's rude to call our classmates that." Kacchan gave him this look that said, "does it look like I give a fuck?" Izuku ignored it, continuing. "I figured we would double our training until the event?"

"That much's obvious," the blonde popped a few fries into his mouth, and chewed. "But that ain't gonna cut it. I'm gonna be pretty fucking pissed if you don't at least make it to the last game."

"But we don't even know what they're going to be. It's pretty hard to prepare, if we don't even know _what_ we are preparing _for_."

"So? We just have to prepare for anything. One way or another, we're definitely going to have to fight other first years. Analyzing is at least something you're good at—so analyze."

"Wait—" Izuku blinked up at his friend. Kacchan said all these things like it was obvious, but—"Why are you even helping me with this? We're going to be rivals once the competitions start."

"I know that—" Kacchan grit his teeth and looked like he wanted to smack him for being an idiot. "Looks like you've forgotten again, dumbass. You're not going to be able to use your full quirk when we compete, so it doesn't matter if I help you. This doesn't count. But maybe you can finally impress Caterpillar-sensei before he gets tired of your ass and expels you for real."

Izuku opened his mouth, considering Kacchan's words. Then, "That's… a good idea, actually. He'll probably kick me out if I can't even get a decent score in the first game…"

"Exactly," the blonde teen pointed a finger toward him, accusingly. "And that's why you need a fucking plan, to prove to everyone that you're in the hero course for a reason."

* * *

For the rest of that day, that was the question left on his mind. A plan. Some strategy to make sure he left a good impression during the Sports Festival. But how was he supposed to do that?

The next time Izuku saw his classmates, it was with notebook in hand and a glint in his eye.

" _Analyzing is at least something you're good at—so analyze._ "

And so he did.

In the end, his notebook didn't contain much information outside of 1-A. He rarely had time to catch the other classes in practice, and it's not as if he could ask them about their quirks so close to the festival. It'd be stupid of them to divulge information to a potential enemy.

Every night, as time slowly ticked one step closer to the festival, he would stare at his handwriting, thinking. He scanned the words intently, combing through every piece of information for some essential clue he might have missed, and memorizing every word. The majority of his counter strategies just relied on not getting hit in the first place, which was a bit pathetic, if he were honest. But it was hard to come up with anything beyond that, as he had no idea in which circumstances they would face off against each other, and what he would be available for him to take advantage of.

And while he had been practicing dodging attacks with Kacchan more than usual, that just wouldn't cut it.

 _I can't use my quirk,_ he chewed on his finger, thinking. _At least not to its full extent. I can only rewind time on myself twice without passing out—if even that. Doing that consumes a lot of stamina, and I'm going to need every last bit if I want to make it to the end..._

 _...will I even be able to do this?_

He slapped himself across the face. What would Kacchan think if he heard him now?

Focus.

He flipped through the messy pages of his well-worn notebook for—he's not sure what, exactly. But he was running out of ideas, and like a movie, this was his last desperate resort to reach some sort of epiphany that would change everything.

He stopped. The name staring back at him was someone he'd been watching closely for a while now, and for good reason. _Todoroki Shouto._ No doubt one of the strongest students of their class, or of any of the first years for that matter. Even Kacchan couldn't deny that.

 _Half hot, half cold,_ Izuku mused. The power he wielded with his ice alone was incredible, and his left—

Ah.

He frowned, tapping his pen against the scribbled page in an attempt to jog his memory. He'd seen Todoroki use his left side to melt the ice he created, but now that he thought about it, isn't that all?

...had Todoroki ever created a lick of flame?

The force of the realization hit Izuku like a brick to the face, and he cannot believe he hadn't noticed until now. But he was right, wasn't he?

Todoroki Shouto doesn't use fire. The only question remaining now was…

 _...why?_

* * *

 **AN: Not the most exciting chapter, and kind of short too. But we should get to the Sports Festival next chapter. :) And boy, I am excited.**


End file.
